


Nightwing's Little Finch

by CassLynn412



Category: Batman - All Media Types, DC Extended Universe
Genre: Adoption, Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Dick Grayson is Nightwing, Dick Grayson-centric, Domestic Batfamily (DCU), Fluff, Gen, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Police Officer Dick Grayson, Protective Batfamily (DCU)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-11
Updated: 2021-03-01
Packaged: 2021-03-07 15:55:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 14
Words: 24,122
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26940238
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CassLynn412/pseuds/CassLynn412
Summary: Dick never expected his life to be normal. He was a vigilante. It was pretty much a given. That being said, he has no clue what to do when a ten-year-old girl falls into his life. Literally.
Relationships: Dick Grayson/Koriand'r
Comments: 9
Kudos: 44





	1. Chapter 1

The city of Bludhaven was not the nicest city in the world. It certainly wasn't Gotham, that's for sure. While there was a soft-spot in his heart for his old stomping grounds, Dick would admit that Gotham was sometimes, maybe most of the time, a giant mess. Granted, it was a mess with a giant family of vigilantes keeping it under control, but still a mess. But that was besides the point. 

He had established himself in Bludhaven pretty well and was happy to be away from the shadow the Batman cast over his proteges. Yes, Bludhaven was a mess of its own. A system of corrupt officials and dirty, underworld dealings, as well as a police-force that he was attempting to clean up from the inside as a cop. Nothing Dick wasn't used to. 

This night on his patrol though, he found himself dealing with something that was _way_ out of his comfort zone. 

It was a steady night. Not a lot of underworld activity and people were staying inside, considering it was a weeknight. Nightwing was perched on a roof, watching the streets when a loud boom reached his ears. His first thought was that it was a boom tube. He looked into the sky and saw a bright portal of blue light appear. 

"That's not a boom tube," he muttered to himself. 

He didn't have time to find out what it was. He saw the figure of someone falling through the sky. They were flailing and as Nightwing ran to intercept them, he heard the distinct scream of a child. He launched a grappling line to a nearby roof and jumped from the building, catching the kid as he swung. He landed on the opposite side of the street and could feel them trembling in his arms. He looked down and saw that he was holding a girl with a head of brown hair. He gently set her down on the ground and looked her over. 

"Are you alright?" he asked, looking her in the eyes. He noticed that they were a soft, hazel color, and they were wide with fright. 

She nodded her head. "Where am I?" 

"You're in Bludhaven." 

"Who are you?" 

"My name is Nightwing," he replied softly. "I'm a hero. What's your name, kiddo?" 

"R-- Ryla," she stuttered. "Ryla Stevens." 

"Hi, Ryla. Do you think you can tell me what happened? How'd you fall through that portal?" 

Nightwing noticed that Ryla became even more distressed. Her breath hitched and she looked down at her feet, then back up at him. He noticed her eyes starting to mist over and the trembling in her lip. 

"I was in my backyard," she said, her voice shaking. "I...I don't know what I did. I was just playing and there was a loud boom and my mom heard it and she saw the blue hole and she screamed and I started falling and I couldn't breathe and--" 

"Hey, it's okay," Nightwing replied, placing his hands on her shoulders. "It's okay. Just breathe with me. Alright? Just take some deep breaths. I'm here to help you, okay?" 

He took a lot of deep breaths, making sure Ryla followed his lead. He knew he couldn't calm her down completely, but he could at least make sure she wasn't hyperventilating. While he did that, he was processing everything Ryla had told him. She seemed like a regular kid. A really scared kid. Had someone opened the portal to kidnap her? Was she meant to be leverage against someone? 

"Can you tell me about your family?" he asked. "What do your mom and dad do?" 

"My mom's a teacher," Ryla answered. "M--my dad's an accountant." 

"What about others in your family?" 

Ryla shook her head. "There isn't anybody else, except Mikey, but he's a baby." 

"No grandparents or aunts and uncles?" 

"What's a grandparent?" 

Nightwing worked hard not to let his shock show on his face. It wouldn't be too far of a stretch to think that her grandparents were deceased. It wasn't uncommon, but she still would've known that she'd had them... 

"Ryla, I'm going to call a friend of mine," he stated. "I'm going to see if I can find your family and get you home. So, can you tell me where you live?" 

She gave a small nod. "Joliet. It's in Illinois."

He smiled at her, hopefully making her a little bit more at ease, then pulled out a cellphone. He found Tim in his contacts and hit the call button. He knew for a fact that Tim would still be up. The teen would run himself into the ground for hero work and relied too much on coffee. The phone rang for about three seconds before Tim picked up. 

"What's up?" he asked. 

"I need you to look up a family for me," Nightwing replied. "I've got a girl that's been separated from them." 

"Alright. What information have you got?" 

"Last name is Stevens, they live in Joliet, Illinois and have two kids. An infant named Mikey and a girl named Ryla, she's the kid with me." 

Nightwing heard the distinct sound of Tim typing away at the Bat-Computer. Occasionally, Tim asked for a bit more information, like what Ryla looked like, how old she was and the school she went to. He was incredibly thorough, though Dick shouldn't have expected anything less from Tim. Ryla was fidgeting with her hands while Nightwing waited for Tim's search results. 

"Dick, there's a slight problem," Tim stated. 

"What's the problem?" 

"There's no record of a kid named Ryla Stevens anywhere that matches that description. She doesn't even exist." 

"But I've got her standing right in front of me," Nightwing reasoned. "How can she--?" Nightwing caught himself, noticing Ryla's wide eyes. 

"I don't know," Tim replied. "If I did, I would tell you. All I know is that she doesn't exist. She has no family, no history, nothing." 

Nightwing turned away from Ryla and quickly lowered his voice. "So what am I supposed to do with her? I can't just drop her off at the police station. Someone's going to notice that something's up." 

"You could adopt her," Tim deadpanned. "It's what Bruce would do." 

"Excuse me?" 

"That was a joke," he said quickly. "Don't turn into Bruce. You'll end up adopting a dozen kids." 

"Well, thanks for your help," Nightwing sighed. 

"Anytime. Hope you sort out your little mystery kid." 

Nightwing turned back towards Ryla and saw that she was still nervously fidgeting with her hands. He looked her over again, still not finding anything to point to her being anything other than a regular kid. What was that portal? And why didn't she exist? 

"Can you get me home?" Ryla asked. 

"Well... no, not tonight," he answered. "There are a lot of questions that I can't answer." 

"So...Where am I gonna go?" 

Nightwing took a moment to consider his options. It wasn't like he'd been trained to know what to do when a kid that didn't exist fell from the sky. In all honesty, there weren't many options to begin with. He had a feeling it wouldn't help her to just be dumped on the doorstep of someone she didn't know, and there were too many holes to fill in the story. If he wanted to figure out how to help her get back to wherever she was from, he'd need to keep her close by.

Nightwing got down on his knees. "How would you feel about staying at my place for a bit? Just until we can figure out how to get you home."

Ryla looked more than a little unsure about the arrangement. He waited patiently for her to give him a definite decision. She glanced up at the sky where the portal had been, then back at him. She managed a small nod. Nightwing gave a reassuring smile. He could take care of a kid for a few days. Right?


	2. Chapter 2

Getting Ryla back to his apartment was pretty easy. They went in through one of the windows in the alley. He led Ryla to the living room and she made herself comfortable on the couch. Well, maybe comfortable wasn't the right word. She curled up in a ball and made herself look as small as possible. Dick went back into his room and changed out of his uniform. When he came back, she was in the same position, looking like a cornered animal. 

Dick took a seat on the other end of the couch, giving her room to move if she wanted to get up. 

"Nightwing..." she mumbled. 

"You can call me Dick," he replied. "That's my real name." 

"Dick," Ryla repeated. "Am I gonna get in trouble?" 

"For what?" Dick asked. 

"For leaving home. My dad always told me I wasn't ready to leave home, that I'd get in trouble if I left." 

"I'm sure he'll understand that you didn't mean to," Dick replied. "It was an accident. I think he'll just be happy to see you safe." 

Ryla gave a slight nod and pulled her legs closer to her chest. Dick had to wonder about where it was that she came from. Maybe if he took her to Bruce, they could figure it out. Or maybe she was a time traveler and she hadn't been born yet. He'd met a few time travelers in the Justice League. Maybe one of them could get her home... He was pulled out of his thoughts when he heard the sound of a stomach rumbling. He glanced over at Ryla and she had a sheepish expression on her face. 

Dick let out a chuckle. "I guess that means it's time for a midnight snack. I should have some leftovers in the fridge." 

He made his way to the kitchen and started scanning his fridge. He had some Chinese takeout, some pizza and various other options. Dick grabbed the leftover pizza, deciding it was probably the safest option in terms of food that Ryla might enjoy. After some quick reheating in the microwave, Dick took the two plates of pizza back to the living room. Ryla mumbled a quiet 'thank you' before taking the plate. Dick settled into his spot and decided to peruse the tv. 

"Who's that?" Ryla asked as Dick flipped to a news channel. 

The current story was covering a late-night battle in Metropolis. A familiar figure in red and blue was flying past the camera. 

"That's Superman," Dick answered. "He's a superhero." 

"Like you?" 

"Yeah. There are a lot of superheroes around the world," he stated. "Each of them protects a city of their own, and some of them team up from time to time." 

"So, are there supervillains too?" 

"Unfortunately," Dick replied. "But don't worry. We're always around to keep people safe." 

"Do you think a supervillain brought me here?" 

Dick didn't really want to say anything on that particular subject, not yet. Instead, he let out a light chuckle. "You're a perceptive one, aren't you?" 

"My dad says I'm good at noticing things I'm not supposed to," Ryla said with a small smile. "Says it gets me into a lot of trouble." 

"Like what?" 

Ryla took a moment to think. Her brows drew together as she thought. "I don't remember. I should be able to remember." 

"Don't worry about it," Dick replied quickly. "You've had a long day. Your brain is probably just a little fuzzy." 

Dick tried to keep his expression devoid of any kind of worry. The fact that Ryla seemed certain that she should remember something and apparently had a habit of seeing things she wasn't supposed to made it seem like maybe someone had intended for her to drop from the sky. Maybe she'd seen something dangerous and it was someone's way of getting rid of her. It wouldn't be the first time a child had seen something they weren't supposed to and ended up targeted by dangerous people. Still, showing her how concerning her story was was not going to help her at all. He needed to understand the whole story before saying anything that could be incredibly earth shattering. 

"You didn't answer my question, though," Ryla piped. "About if you think a supervillain brought me here." 

Dick took a moment to think of the easiest way to put his thoughts out without flat out lying to her. "Well, I can't be certain until I learn more. I don't think it's impossible, but I don't know that it's for sure either." 

Ryla didn't press the subject. She finished her pizza and curled back into a ball. Dick continued flipping through channels, occasionally glancing over at her. He noticed that she flinched anytime a loud boom came from the tv and turned down the volume. It was well past one in the morning when he saw her let out a yawn. She was leaning against the arm of the couch with her eyes half-closed. 

"Ryla, why don't you go sleep in the spare room?" Dick suggested. "It's late and you're about to fall asleep." 

She let out a small mumble and uncurled herself. She was a little unsteady on her feet. Dick guided her back to his spare room. As soon as she got on the bed, she was out like a light. He covered her with a blanket, careful not to disturb her. As Dick closed the door, he realized that Ryla wasn't the only person that was tired. Normally, Dick could go much later into the night, but tonight was an off-night in more ways than one. He locked up the apartment, made sure the tv was off, then made his way to bed. 

Dick would like to say the morning was less confusing than the night. 

"Dick!" Ryla called from the living room. "There's a monkey in your apartment!" 

It wasn't. 

Dick was certainly surprised to be woken up to the news that there was a monkey in his apartment. He was hoping that maybe Damian had dropped in and brought Beast Boy with him. That was not the case. For one, the monkey running around his living room was not green. It was a small monkey, with dark, brown fur, and black paws. It had perched itself on the coffee table and was messing with the plates from last night's pizza. 

"Is this normal?" Ryla asked. 

"Not in the slightest," Dick answered. "How did it even get in here?" 

Ryla shrugged. "I just woke up and it was sitting there." 

The monkey looked up from the plates and stared at Dick and Ryla. It seemed to be debating between which of the two options was more interesting. It apparently decided that they were, as it scampered over and climbed up onto Ryla's shoulder. 

"What am I supposed to do?" Ryla asked quietly. "I don't know how to handle a monkey." 

"I don't really know," Dick replied. "If it were an evil, robot monkey I might be able to give some assistance." 

"Did you say 'evil, robot monkey'?" 

"Long story." 

Ryla was at a loss for words. She stared at Dick with her mouth hanging open. She was shaken out of her little stupor when the monkey decided to nibble on her ear. 

"Hey, stop that," Ryla ordered, shooing the monkey's face away from hers. "I'm not food." 

It chirped, climbing off of Ryla's shoulder and onto the couch. It padded a spot for itself and curled up in a ball. As soon as it closed its eyes, there was a flash of light and a stuffed animal was left in its place. As a stuffed animal, the monkey had long, lanky limbs and a giant head. 

"Um...what was that?" she inquired. 

Dick stared at the stuffed animal, trying to make sense of what little information there was. 

First: He'd definitely need to call Bruce for some help. 

"I don't suppose you've thought about monkeys recently," Dick said, not taking his eyes off of the toy. 

"Well...I did have a really weird dream," Ryla admitted. "There was a monkey involved." 

_Aaand_ there was the second piece of information. The monkey was probably Ryla's. He was quickly taking back his initial perception of Ryla. She was not normal. But that just made another question pop up. How did she summon a monkey in her sleep?! 

"Dick? Are you ok?" 

"Yeah, I'm fine," he answered. "Just processing all of this. I'll go make some breakfast, then we can figure out what you can do for the day while I'm at work."

Ryla followed Dick into the kitchen and stood in a corner while he started pulling out some eggs. Her gaze was locked on the stuffed animal. It was weird enough for him. It was probably more than a little shocking for Ryla. He had a feeling that wherever she came from, it didn't have the impossible happen on a regular basis. He decided to see if he could get a few more answers from Ryla about where she was from. The details she gave about her hometown were vague to a concerning degree. It was as if all she had to go on were a handful of blurry images in her head. Even some of the details about her mom and little brother were fuzzy. The only thing Ryla could remember with any kind of clarity was her dad. 

"So, Ryla, what about personal stuff? When's your birthday?" Dick asked, noticing her discomfort as she failed to recall more details that she felt she should've known. 

"Birthday. That's easy," Ryla replied. "Jan-- wait, give me a second. Mar... I swear, this is the one thing I know. I _have_ to know this." 

"Easy, Ryla," Dick said, putting down the food he was cooking. "It's okay. Just give yourself a moment." 

"But why don't I know this?! Why don't I know anything?!" Ryla exclaimed. "I _know_ it's in there somewhere! Why can't I find it?!" 

"I don't know, ok. I don't know," Dick replied, trying to keep his voice calm. "But we'll figure it out. Can you tell me why it's hard?" 

Ryla shook her head. "I don't know! It's like there's a fog in my head and it's not going away! There are things I know I should know but I don't! And I don't know why! It's like everything I've known is just vanishing as if it was never there!" 

Dick felt an uneasiness settle in his stomach. She was forgetting things incredibly fast. She'd only been with him for a night and couldn't remember any concrete details about her own life. What if Ryla forgot everything about her life completely? How long would he have to get her back home? Could he stop it? Could he help her remember memories that were already disappearing? Most importantly, why were they disappearing? Maybe it had something to do with Ryla's lack of existence.


	3. Chapter 3

Dick didn't know what to do. Ryla's anxiety continued to grow, even as he tried to get her off of thinking about her disappearing memories. She seemed fixated on the problem and was desperate to pull out at least one detail. At this point, Dick knew it wouldn't be a good idea to leave her by herself. Still, he couldn't exactly take her with him to work. Taking a ten-year-old to a police station when she should've been in school would raise a few questions. Especially if it was a ten-year-old he'd never mentioned before. He decided that the best option was to call in sick. Knowing that she wouldn't be left alone seemed to calm Ryla down a little bit. 

Now, Dick had to figure out how to keep her occupied. Tv was the easiest option, and he was happy to answer any of Ryla's questions about things she saw. It made her calm down a little as she focused on the things she was learning. Still, she could only stare at the tv for so long. Dick found some paper and pencils and let her go wild with her imagination. Sometimes he'd look over at what she was drawing. She was pretty good and she seemed to enjoy it. He had a feeling Damian would enjoy meeting another artist when Dick took her to Gotham. As Ryla focused on her drawing, a flash of light came from the monkey, becoming alive again. It stretched itself out, then jumped onto Ryla's shoulder. 

"The monkey's back," Ryla stated, pausing in her drawing. 

"I see it," Dick replied. 

"What are we gonna do with it?" 

"I have a feeling it's going to stick around no matter what we do." 

"So, is it like a pet?" 

Dick nodded. "And I'm pretty sure it's _your_ pet." 

Ryla took a moment to think. "Well, if it's my pet then it needs a name. People name pets, right?" 

"Yeah, they give them names," Dick replied. "My little brother, Damian, has a dog named Titus, and I think there's a cat named after Alfred." 

"Who's Alfred?" Ryla inquired. 

"A really badass butler." Dick's eyes widened when he registered the word he'd said. "And maybe don't repeat that word." 

"Butler?" 

"No, the other one," he clarified. "You shouldn't know that kind of language." 

"You know it," Ryla stated. "Why can't I?" 

"It's adult language." 

Ryla rolled her eyes and returned her attention to the monkey. She was silent for a minute, pondering possible names for her new companion. 

"I think I'll call him Mojo," Ryla said with a small hum. 

"How do you know it's a him?" 

"Intuition." 

Ryla left her answer at that and returned to drawing. Mojo seemed to have no problem with the name and watched her draw. Dick caught a quick glimpse of something on Ryla's paper before she switched to a fresh sheet. It looked like some kind of deformed, human figure without a proper face. It had little craters where eyes should be and rows of shark-like teeth. The drawing was a little disturbing. 

"Hey, Ryla," Dick piped. "Can I look at some of your drawings?" 

She gave a nod, not looking up from her current project. Dick took a closer look at Ryla's drawings and found that the deformed humanoids appeared in another of her drawings. The background looked like a normal street, but the figures showed up in the shadows of buildings. One of Ryla's drawings was of herself and the man she had described as her father in a park. The man certainly looked like Ryla's father. He had dark hair and his facial features were the same as Ryla's. When Dick looked at the shadow, he saw the an upside down, deformed figure outlined in it. It was the worst of the monsters. Ryla looked as if she was completely unaware that she was putting them in her drawing. Dick tucked away the detail for later investigation. If he asked about it, he had a feeling she would get anxious again. He wanted to avoid a repeat of that morning. She was already questioning herself, probably best to keep her from realizing that she was putting monsters in her otherwise innocent drawings. That was a conversation for later. 

"Hey, Ryla," Dick said, getting her to look up. "I'm going to go call a friend of mine real quick. I'll be in the kitchen." 

"Okay," she replied with a nod. 

Dick left her to her artistic pursuits. He glanced over at her one last time before he scrolled through his contacts and found the mansion's number. The phone rang three times before someone picked up. 

"Hello, Master Dick." 

"Hey, Alfred," Dick replied. "Is Bruce available? I need to talk to him." 

"Yes. Give me a moment," Alfred answered. "I expect this is about the young girl you found last night." 

"Yeah. Tim told you?" 

"Yes. He was quite perplexed by the situation." 

"Well, it's even more perplexing now," Dick stated. 

"Here's Master Bruce. I'm sure he will be able to help." 

There was a moment of silence as Alfred passed the phone to Bruce. 

"What do you need, Dick?" Bruce asked. 

"Tim told you about the girl I found last night, right?" 

"The girl that doesn't exist," Bruce replied. 

"Her name's Ryla," Dick said. "Thing is, there are some strange things going on and I could use your help." 

"What kind of things?" 

"For starters, she fell out of a portal from the sky," Dick answered. "She also seems to be losing her memory. She can't recall things about most of her family or her home. She doesn't even know when her birthday is." 

"It could be the consequences of coming here," Bruce replied. 

"That's what I'm thinking. But that's not the most concerning thing," Dick stated. "She's been drawing for a while. I took a look at some of them and there are these...creatures. They pop up everywhere. I don't think she even knows she's drawing them. The worst one is in a drawing of her father. Some sort of upside-down monster." 

Bruce let out a hum as he thought about what Dick had juts said. "I can't make any concrete conclusions from here." 

"I figured," Dick sighed. "I can try and get to Gotham tonight. Tell the others to keep the whole not-existing thing on the down-low." 

"You didn't tell her?" 

"She's not been processing everything very well," Dick explained. "I figured it would be better to get to the bottom of this whole thing before dropping that bombshell." 

"Be careful with how long you wait to tell her," Bruce advised. "The longer you wait, the more damaging it could be." 

Dick hummed in agreement. "I'll find a time to tell her. Just make sure the others aren't the ones that say anything about it. It's my responsibility. I need to be the one to do it." 

"I will make sure they don't say anything about it," Bruce assured him. "Should I have Alfred prepare a room for her?" 

"Yeah. You might also want to tell him we're bringing a monkey." 

"A monkey?" 

It was one of the few moments where Dick could tell that Bruce was genuinely confused.

"Somehow Ryla summoned a monkey in her sleep," Dick explained. "Sometimes he's alive, sometimes he's just a stuffed animal. Not sure what triggers it. She's named him Mojo." 

"Alright," Bruce said with a small sigh. "I will let everyone know that you're coming and bringing Ryla and her monkey."

"Thanks, Bruce. I'll see you in a few hours."


	4. Chapter 4

The idea of going to Gotham did not sit well with Ryla. On one hand, she'd meet more people who could figure out how to get her home. On the other hand, it meant that she was farther from where she'd fallen and what if her family came looking for her? If they couldn't find her, then they might just give up and then she'd be stuck and she'd never get home and she'd never see them again for the rest of her life and she'd forget and--

"Ryla?" Dick piped, noticing Ryla's curled up position and erratic breathing. "What's wrong?" 

She looked up from the spot she was staring at on the couch. "Are you sure going to Gotham is a good idea?"

"Is it making you nervous?" he asked. 

"Well... yeah. I don't want my family to come looking and then not be able to find me," she answered. 

Dick took a seat next to her and gave her a reassuring pat on the shoulder. "I know this is scary for you. We don't know a lot of things, but going to Gotham will help us figure some things out and then we might be able to get you home." 

"What if I forget everything?" 

Dick didn't have an answer for that. Ryla's heart sank at the thought of forgetting everything about her life. She was making it a habit of constantly chanting the names of her family in her head and picturing them. Sometimes she could pull a less-foggy memory of something they did out of her mind. Still, there were so many holes, so many things she should've known. Dick was certain that whoever was in Gotham would be able to help her. Despite the fact that it had only been a day, Ryla trusted him. He saved her once. She had faith that he wouldn't let anything happen to her. 

Dick gave her a small backpack to pack a few things she wanted to take. She found an empty notebook that Dick said she could use and some pencils and pens. The last thing she put in the backpack was Mojo. He was the only thing that was definitively hers. She wasn't going to leave him behind. 

The drive to Gotham wasn't all that long. Ryla spent her time in the backseat, staring out the window. She tried not to let her eyes wander to the shadows. A voice in her head was telling her that she wasn't ready for the shadows yet. It was probably her dad's voice. Now that she thought about it, her dad had always said a lot of weird things to her. Sometimes they were scary and he made it clear that she would get into a lot of trouble if she stepped out of line. He was very different from Dick. Dick was trying hard to keep her from being scared. No one had done that for her. 

Ryla was pulled out of her thoughts when she saw something scramble between shadows. The hairs on her neck rose. She caught sight of a yellow-colored limb that definitely didn't belong to a person. She tried to spot it, but they drove by before she could. She considered mentioning it to Dick, but held her tongue. She shouldn't worry him. Besides, she was always noticing things. It was probably nothing.

Dick tried to keep himself from constantly glancing at the backseat to make sure Ryla wasn't panicking. She was being incredibly quiet. He still wasn't sure if her being quiet was a good or a bad thing. After half an hour of driving, Dick allowed himself to look. She was curled up, hugging Mojo and was in a light sleep. He was hoping for answers, but he couldn't shake the feeling that there would be no going back for Ryla, that she would be here and would never get home. He didn't like the thought of letting her down that badly. Yes, he'd failed as a hero before, but he didn't want to fail with Ryla. 

After another hour of driving, they made it to Gotham. Ryla stirred from her sleep as they pulled up to the mansion and Dick heard her let out a gasp. The mansion could be a lot at first glance. He wondered if the others were all out on patrol, or if they were waiting for him to show up. Knowing Bruce, at least one of them was out on the street.

"Ready to meet everybody?" Dick asked as he pulled into the garage. 

"How many people live here?" Ryla replied as she climbed out of the car. 

"Six, not including pets," he answered. "Trust me, with all the animals Damian has, it's practically a zoo. He has a habit of adopting animals on sight." 

Ryla tightened her grip around her monkey. "He can't have Mojo." 

Dick let out a laugh. "Don't worry. Everyone knows that Mojo is spoken for." 

Dick led Ryla into the main entrance of the mansion. She was gaping at the large room when everyone came in to greet them. Dick noticed that Cassandra was missing. She was probably the one doing patrol. Ryla let out a squeak at suddenly being surrounded by strangers and quickly moved herself slightly behind Dick. 

"Welcome back to the mansion, Master Dick," Alfred said with a small smile. "And this must be Miss Ryla." 

"Hi," she replied, giving him a small wave in greeting. 

"Ryla, this is Alfred," Dick stated. 

"Oh. The badass butler." 

Dick's eyes widened and he stared down at her. Jason and Tim were cracking up while Bruce, Alfred and Damian regarded Dick with blank expressions. Ryla gave him an innocent look. 

"That's what you said he was," she stated. 

"It's an accurate statement," Jason commented, getting a hold of his laughter. 

"Accuracy aside, lets not use any more adult language," Dick said, patting her on the back. 

Ryla gave a small huff. "But the adult language sounds cooler." 

Dick gave Ryla a stern glance and she mumbled a quick 'yes, Dick.' 

"It's nice to meet you Ryla," Bruce said, extending a hand towards her. "I'm Bruce Wayne." 

Ryla gently shook his hand and gave him a small smile. 

"Masters, properly introduce yourselves," Alfred instructed, eyeing Jason and Tim. 

"I'm Jason. Nice to meet ya, squirt," Jason replied. 

"And I'm Tim. Dick called me when he found you." 

"So you did all the research looking for my family?" Ryla inquired. 

Tim gave a small nod. "That was me." 

Damian made a small 'tch' and stepped forward. "I am Damian Wayne." 

"So, you're all Dick's family?" Ryla asked. 

"Most of us," Jason answered. "The two women of the house are out on patrol." 

"He means Cass and Kate," Tim clarified. 

"So you're all heroes," Ryla guessed. "One giant family of heroes. That is so cool."

"You say that, but you've never had to patrol with these two," Jason replied, pointing to Damian and Tim. "It's a nightmare." 

"It's not that bad," Dick piped. "Just as long as they're more focused on fighting criminals than each other."

"Do you fight a lot?" Ryla asked, glancing between Damian and Tim. 

"Well--" Tim started. 

"The relationship between Drake and I is unimportant," Damian interjected, glaring at Jason and Dick. "Besides, I was informed that you have a monkey." 

Ryla gave a small nod and held up her stuffed animal. "His name's Mojo, but he's not awake right now."

"That is a toy," Damian stated. 

"He's not always." 

"You can animate a stuffed animal?" Tim asked, his eyes widening. 

"Um...Yes? We're not really sure how he wakes up." 

"There's a lot that we're trying to figure out," Dick replied. "Ryla, why don't you go with Alfred to find your room while I catch them up." 

Ryla looked more than a little hesitant to not be close by. To be fair, the mansion was a lot bigger than his apartment. He gave her a gentle nudge and Alfred waited with a patient smile. She took a moment, but eventually, she followed Alfred up the stairs. As soon as they were out of sight, Bruce led the way to the cave. 

"So, that's the kid that doesn't exist," Jason mused. "And apparently there are things even weirder about her." 

"How bad is the memory loss?" Bruce inquired. 

"Pretty bad," Dick answered. "It scares her, and I'm not sure what'll happen once they're all gone." 

"Maybe there's something we can do to halt the memory loss," Tim piped. "I can do some research and we can call Dr. Thompkins." 

"We need to figure out what the cause is before we try preventing it," Bruce stated. "We don't want to do more damage." 

"Perhaps the memory loss is only the first stage of something bigger," Tim suggested. "If she doesn't exist here, then maybe she _can't_ exist." 

"Like getting erased from reality?" Dick asked, trying hard to keep himself from freaking out. 

"That's... disturbing," Jason commented. 

"We don't know if that's what's happening," Bruce interjected. 

Tim made his way over to the computer and started sifting through research. Bruce, Jason, Tim and Damian hovered close by. They listened as Dick told them what he'd observed about Ryla. As he talked about the things he'd noticed in her drawings, he pulled a small folder out of his bag and handed it to Bruce. Bruce looked over the drawings. His face showed concern as he flipped between the pages. 

Jason looked over Bruce's shoulder. "Dick, I don't see anything out of the ordinary. These are just normal kid drawings." 

"Look in the shadows," Dick instructed. 

Jason took another look and his eyes widened. "Ok, no child should be drawing things like _that_." 

"This is the one with her father?" Bruce asked, holding up the paper. 

"Yeah," Dick answered. 

"So, she has daddy-issues?" Jason inquired. 

"That wouldn't match up with what she's told Grayson," Damian piped. "There must be something more to this than what she's telling us." 

"Well, I've looked at everything that happened in Bludhaven with a million different filters and there's nothing to indicate an anomaly," Tim stated. "Whatever she fell out of shouldn't have even been there. There is no scientific explanation for how she's here."

"Then it's not scientific," Bruce replied. 

Dick's eyes widened. "You can't be suggesting--" 

Alarms started blaring, alerting them to an intruder in the mansion. Tim quickly pulled up a video feed on the screen. Alfred was rushing Ryla down one of the corridors. Mojo was awake and running behind them. Ryla was terrified. 

A monster from Ryla's drawings was chasing after them.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm glad to see that there are people enjoying the fic. Just a heads up, I won't be able to update too regularly because of class and work and all the fun that comes with being an adult. However, I would love to hear what you guys think of the fic and any constructive criticism you have. It's always nice to hear about what I can improve upon as a write. Promise to provide updates as much as possible.

Ryla didn't really like leaving Dick. Mostly because he was the only person she'd seen since the portal and was the only thing she could constantly remember properly. She thought that if she so much as blinked, she'd have absolutely no memories whatsoever. Still, she followed Alfred through the mansion, trying not to focus on the fact that Dick was probably telling his family about . She really was a freak, wasn't she? 

"Miss Ryla, are you alright?" Alfred asked. 

Ryla pulled herself out of her head and gave him a small smile. "Yeah, just...thinking. You know, new place, new people and all that jazz." 

He seemed unconvinced, but he didn't push. She was glad for that. If Ryla started talking about everything she was thinking, she had a feeling she would never stop. It seemed a little wrong for her to be talking so much. Sometimes she wasn't entirely sure how she was supposed to talk. The only clear rule was that she shouldn't use adult language. Ryla shook her head. So what if she was a little weird? So what if everything she was doing felt new and wrong? The only thing that deserved her focus was working on getting home. 

"Here you are, Miss Ryla," Alfred said, opening a door for her. 

Ryla gaped at the room. It was huge. A large window looked out onto the grounds of the mansion. There was a canopy bed with a few stuffed animals laid on it. Ryla seriously doubted they belonged to one of Dick's brothers. She didn't know anything about Cass. Maybe she'd let Alfred put some in the room for Ryla to borrow. The wardrobe had a selection of clothes that Ryla could try on. 

"Wow," She mumbled. "You put this together in an entire day?" 

"I do hope you like some of the clothes," Alfred replied. "Master Dick tried to give an estimate of what your sizes might be. If there's anything that doesn't fit, please let me know. And the stuffed animals were Master Jason's idea. Something to make you feel a little more welcome." 

"Wait...you mean all this is mine? Like, to keep?" 

Alfred gave a small nod. Ryla walked around the room, dropping her backpack and Mojo at the foot of the bed. Why would complete strangers want her to feel so welcomed? Why did it feel so nice? 

"Thanks," Ryla said, giving Alfred a genuine smile. "Tell Jason the stuffed animals were a good idea. Hopefully, they don't come to life like Mojo." 

Ryla caught the slightly amused look that crossed Alfred's face. Alfred left her in the room for a little to get settled. She decided to explore the new clothes to keep herself from distracted. They'd thought of everything. It was like they had money to spare. Given the size of the house, they probably did. Dick had guessed her sizes pretty accurately. There were some things that were a little big, but she didn't mind. As Ryla picked out an outfit, she noticed that Mojo woke up and settled himself on the bed. She changed and twirled around in front of a mirror. Ryla had chosen a dark purple and blue flannel shirt and a black t-shirt with a pair of jeans. 

"What do you think, Mojo?" Ryla asked as she pulled her hair into a ponytail. "Does it suit me?" 

The monkey chirped in response with what looked like a nod. 

"I'll take that as a yes," she hummed. "Wanna go back downstairs? I think I saw a giant library and wanna check it out." 

Mojo happily climbed onto Ryla's shoulder and they went searching through the mansion. Ryla was successful in retracing her steps and found herself back at the main staircase pretty quickly. Now she just needed to remember where she saw that library. Ryla and Mojo tried peeking down various hallways, hoping to find their destination. Ryla was turning around when she bumped right into Alfred. 

"Oops," she said with a nervous chuckle. "Sorry, Alfred. We were just looking for the library." 

"So, Mojo is awake," Alfred observed. "Will he behave?" 

"I think so. I haven't seen him destroy anything yet," Rlya replied. "So. Library?" 

"Right this way." 

Ryla followed behind Alfred with a small skip in her step. The library was even bigger than it looked. She ran over to the nearest shelf and started looking at the different titles. She had n clue what to read first. 

"We have a variety of works," Alfred stated. "I'm sure we have something that will suit your tastes. What do you prefer to read?" 

Ryla paused and stared at the shelf as if doing so might unlock something in her head. "I don't know. My answer of the day." 

Alfred didn't dwell on her answer for too long, which Ryla appreciated. Alfred led her over to a shelf near a window. 

" _Charlotte's Web_ is a lovely book," he said. "It would suit your reading level. We also have _The Secret Garden_ , _Alice in Wonderland_ \--" 

Ryla's attention was drawn away from Alfred when she spotted something dashing across the grounds. She scanned the grounds, hoping to get a better glimpse of what was outside. She got the same feeling she had felt on the drive to Gotham, as if something was there that wasn't supposed to be. Then, she saw it. 

Something was coming at the mansion. 

"Alfred," Ryla said, stepping away from the window. "There's something out there." 

There was a crash and glass sprayed everywhere. Ryla let out a shriek, covering her head with her arms. Then, she got a good look at what came crashing through the window. A disfigured, human shape with yellow skin, sharp teeth and no face was in the middle of the library. It turned until it was facing Ryla and Alfred. Despite the fact that it had no eyes, Ryla could tell she was what it was focused on. The fog in her mind parted for a brief second. She remembered creatures like that lurking in the shadows, reaching out for her, her dad telling her to stop noticing them and forgetting. 

She ran. Alfred was quick to follow her. The creature let out a wail as it began to chase them. Alfred yelled instructions at Ryla as they ran. She followed them exactly. She glanced behind her and saw Alfred had stopped by some sort of PA system in the wall. The monster was closing in on them

"What are you doing?!" Ryla cried. 

"Keep going! I'll be right behind you!" Alfred ordered. 

Ryla shook her head and pulled on Alfred's arm. "C'mon!" 

The monster let out another wail, jumping at them with incredible speed. Alfred pushed a button and quickly pushed Ryla down the hallway. The monster was a lot closer. Way too close. 

Mojo jumped from Ryla's shoulder and onto a desk. Ryla was about to turn back and grab her monkey when there was a loud THUMP! Mojo had picked up an expensive looking desk lamp and chucked it at the monster. It was not too happy with the monkey and swiped at him. Mojo was quick and jumped from the desk, following Alfred and Ryla. Alfred shouted more directions at Ryla. 

"There!" Alfred called. "The grandfather clock!"

"What's a clock gonna do?!" 

"Set the time to 10:48!" he instructed. 

Ryla reached up to start moving the clock hands. Unfortunately, her height made it just a little bit difficult. Mojo screeched at the sound of the monster's loud wail. Ryla glanced over her shoulder and saw it climbing across the walls, getting ready to pounce. She ducked and crawled away from the clock. The monster went soaring over her head. She started to scramble away when it reached out and clamped its hand around her ankle. 

A blur of fur darted past Ryla's face and started clawing at the monster's head. It let go of Ryla, trying to bat Mojo off of itself. The monkey was ferocious for his size and left some deep scratches on the monster's face. Ryla made her way behind the protective figure of Alfred. She heard voices coming from behind the clock. She didn't bother to process them. She was focused on her monkey.

The monster got in a lucky shot. Ryla nearly crumpled, wrapping her arms around her stomach and letting out an earsplitting cry in pain. Blood dripped from Mojo's stomach. The monster took another swipe. And another. And another. Each successful hit on her monkey made Ryla cry out, feeling sharp, hot flashes of pain wherever Mojo had been hit. A command popped into her head. Something that would hopefully save him. 

"Ojom, ot em!" 

A puff of smoke surrounded Mojo. The monster swiped at it, only for there to be nothing there. An identical puff of smoke appeared in front of Ryla, depositing Mojo into her arms. The clock started to open, but Ryla didn't stick around. Alfred pulled her back down the hallway they came, taking her to rooms that she didn't know and through doors she didn't even notice. The walls shook as the monster thundered after them. The voices of Dick and his family were heard as they tried to hold it back. 

"Go through that door," Alfred ordered, pointing to the one on her left. "I must help the masters. Find a place to hide."

Ryla nodded, following Alfred's instructions. The room he'd told her to go into was a large kitchen. The adrenaline was starting to drain her energy and she became even more aware of the pain in her body. She looked down at Mojo and felt tears welling in her eyes. Ryla opened one of the cabinets and gently placed Mojo inside, hoping to give him some safety. The walls shuddered as it came barreling down the halls. Alfred came flying through the door a second later. 

"Alfred!" Ryla cried as he slammed into a wall. 

The monster leaped at Ryla. There was no dodging this time. She was knocked to the ground and felt its fingers clasp around her neck. She thrashed desperately, but she was too small to throw it off. Spots filled her vision as she tried to breathe. Ryla's body filled with heat, like she was burning from the inside. Her vision tinted with red. She placed her hands on the creature's arm. Blood-red flames burst from her palms. The creature wailed as the flames consumed it. It was gone in an instant. Ryla coughed as she tried to take in air again, propping herself up on her elbows. Ash settled on her clothes.

"Ryla!" 

Dick knelt down beside her, helping her stay upright.

"Alfred," Ryla coughed out, pointing over to wall where he'd been thrown. 

Tim was at Alfred's side, quickly checking him over. "He's okay. Just unconscious." 

"What just happened?" Damian asked, glaring at Ryla. "What was that thing? And since when can you create fire?" 

Ryla shook her head. "I don't know. But I've seen things like that before. Back home." 

"You remember?" Dick asked, helping Ryla get to her feet. 

Ryla nodded. "In the shadows. My dad told me to forget them. I don't know how I did that fire thing." 

"That was magic," Bruce stated. 

"Dark magic," Jason added. "How did you learn dark magic?" 

"I don't know," Ryla answered. "It just happened." 

"What about Mojo?" Dick inquired. 

"Cabinet," she replied, pointing to where she'd stashed the monkey. "He's hurt really badly." 

Damian walked over and found Mojo, back in his dormant form. As a toy, he looked completely fine, but Ryla could still feel stabs of pain coming from him. 

"Careful," Ryla said with a wince. "He's hurt." 

"He's a toy," Damian stated. 

"He's still alive," Ryla retorted. "I can feel it. Give him to me." 

Damian was a little more gentle with Mojo at Ryla's statement and handed him to her gingerly. She adjusted him in her arms until she felt as little pain as possible. Bruce and Jason went to take care of Alfred. Dick helped Ryla to her feet and took her to the living room. He sat with her on the couch. Ryla kept telling herself to calm down, to breathe. The present danger had passed. She had to get out of fight-ot-flight mode. Dick rubbed circles on her back, coaching her through breathing. Bruce and Damian stood close by, albeit a little awkwardly.

"So...magic?" Ryla asked, finally calm enough to actually speak. "That's a thing?" 

Dick nodded. "And you're sure you've never been able to do things like that before?" 

"Not that I can remember," Ryla replied. "But I know I've seen that thing before. I don't know why I forgot." 

Dick glanced over at Bruce, holding some sort of silent conversation. Ryla tried not to get nervous. They'd tell her if she needed to know something, right? She looked over at Damian and noticed that he was giving her a very strong glare. She quickly glanced back at Bruce. Bruce gave Dick a small nod. 

"I can contact Zatanna," he stated. "Given that this is mystical, she might be able to piece it together." 

"How long will it take?" Dick inquired. 

"It shouldn't take more than a day or two," Bruce assured him. "In the meantime, Ryla should stay close to someone at all times. We don't know if anymore of those creatures will show up." 

Ryla gently rubbed a hand against her neck at the thought of more showing up. "Not a bad idea." 

Jason and Tim walked in from taking care of Alfred. Ryla immediately straightened up, ready to ask what she'd been most worried about. 

"Alfred's fine," Jason said, giving her a reassuring smile. "His head hurts, and he'll be out of commission for a few days, but he'll be fine." 

Ryla let out a sigh and slumped against Dick. Her body felt really heavy and whatever she did in the kitchen must have sucked all the heat out of her. Good thing Dick was really warm, and a very comfy pillow. Everyone started talking about the quickest way to get in contact with whoever Zatanna was, theories for why Ryla knew magic and the best way to keep more of the monsters off of the grounds. Ryla couldn't really pay attention to any of it. She gently pulled Mojo close and her eyes fell closed.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Halloween! This chapter is incredibly short. Sorry. I hit writer's block and figured it was best to just end it rather than keep running at a brick wall. As always, feedback and constructive criticism is appreciated. I'll try and get on the next chapter ASAP

Dick listened as Bruce, Tim, Jason and Damian discussed the best way to protect the manor from more of those monsters. He didn't have much input to add. There was not enough information and they weren't completely sure how the one got into the mansion tonight. He was aware of Ryla's weight leaning against his side. He turned to gauge her emotional state and found her sound asleep, curled around Mojo. 

"Dick?" Tim inquired, noticing his drifting attention. 

He placed a finger to his lips. "She fell asleep." 

"She looks incredibly peaceful for a kid that nearly got killed," Jason commented. 

"Very unassuming for a witch," Damian added. 

"We don't know that she's a witch," Tim replied. "She could just be another homo-magi like Zatanna." 

"A witch," Damian stated. "That we still know nothing about." 

"We do know some things," Dick said quickly. 

"I have to agree with the demon on this one," Tim argued. "The list of things we actually know about her are vague details. The only thing we know that's concrete is that she has magic." 

Damian paid no attention to Tim's input. "She's dangerous." 

"She's _in_ danger," Jason replied. "We can't just throw her out. She's only a few years younger than you." 

"She just incinerated a monster in our kitchen," Damian snapped. "What happens if she does that to one of us?" 

"Okay, I'll admit we don't know anything about her," Tim said. "And the whole dark magic thing was concerning, but there is absolutely no evidence to show that she has intentions of killing anybody." 

"There's no evidence to tell us any of her intentions," Damian hissed. 

"We have to reserve judgement until Ryla sees Zatanna," Bruce interjected, bringing the volume of the room back down. 

"But Father--" 

"We know that she is in need of protection and has nowhere to go," Bruce stated firmly. "As such, this is Dick's case. It's his call." 

Everyone's eyes turned towards Dick. He found Damian's approach to the situation harsh, though he could understand why he thought what he did. Damian was raised in the League and he was taught to eliminate threats. This was Damian's way of trying to protect them. Still, Dick had yet to see anything that showed that Ryla had any ill intentions. Jason looked sympathetic towards her plight. He had always had a soft spot for kids. Tim was keeping himself open to all the possibilities. Knowing Tim, he would stockpile all information on Ryla as they pieced her story together. He was a lot like Bruce in that regard. 

Dick glanced down at Ryla. She shivered and curled in on herself. 

"It's a risk, I'm not going to deny that," Dick said, turning his attention back to his family. "But she's a kid and she's got no one to help her except us. I won't leave her until I know she's going to be safe. That's our job as heroes." 

Damian was not happy with that decision. He made an unhappy 'tch' sound and stalked off, probably to the cave. Bruce excused himself to go get in contact with Zatanna and Tim went to do some research on what the hell had attacked Alfred and Ryla. Jason stayed in his spot in the doorway, leaning against the wall. 

"Something you want to say, Jay?" Dick asked. 

"Just that I think you made the right call," he replied. "Even if Demon Spawn over there doesn't like it." 

"Damian is still learning," Dick stated. "He's only twelve." 

"It still doesn't change the fact that he was suggesting something pretty cold," Jason argued. "Would definitely damn her to whatever those things are, and if they didn't get her, some scum on the streets would." 

"Bring it down," Dick advised, lowering his voice to a whisper. "You'll wake her up." 

"Am I wrong?" Jason whispered. 

"Look, I'll deal with Damian. Besides, once everything's sorted out, Ryla will hopefully be back with her family," Dick stated. "I'm sure he can put up with it for a few days." 

"And what if this becomes more permanent?"

"Then we'll handle it like we always do." 

"So we should tell Tim to pull up adoption papers," Jason stated with a smirk. "Will Bruce be taking her or you?" 

"That's not what I meant," Dick replied.

"That's always what that means in this family." 

"Is there anything helpful you'd like to add or are you just going to make jokes?" 

Jason gave a shrug. "There's not much I can really say. You made up your mind. I'm just observing the fact that in the last two nights, you've already gotten quite attached to the kid." 

Dick rolled his eyes. "I'm not attached. Just making sure she isn't freaking out." 

" _Sure_." 

"I'm not attached." 

"Whatever you say, Dick," Jason said, leaving the room. 

Dick rolled his eyes again. He was just looking after Ryla until they got her home. They _would_ get her home. He wasn't sure how Jason came up with the idea that they wouldn't. Besides, he just liked kids. Jason did too, so if anything, it was a little hypocritical for him to be teasing Dick. 

Dick shook himself out of his thoughts and attempted to get up. Attempted being the operative word. As soon as he tried to get up, Ryla whined in her sleep and pulled herself closer. Clearly, he couldn't get up without disturbing her. He reached out to shake her awake, but he quickly pulled his hand away. Her body was freezing! No wonder she didn't want him to move. Dick picked Ryla up, making sure she didn't drop Mojo in the process. Ryla was surprisingly light and carrying her to her room was not too much of a chore. He tucked her in, noticing how she cocooned herself in the sheets as soon as he put her down.

Dick was glad to see that she was sleeping peacefully. She deserved a little bit of peace. He had a feeling that things would get a lot more hectic in the next few days.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for such a long break in between updates! These early chapters are a little more difficult to write. The next chapter should be up much sooner and I'll be going on break soon, so I'll have more time to write. And, I actually know what the next chapter is going to be!   
> Hope you enjoy this chapter! As always, feel free to give feedback or just comment on things you liked.

Ryla would like to say she slept well but the truth was, she didn't. At two in the morning, she woke up, still feeling a phantom pain that she knew was Mojo's, barely able to catch her breath, with horrifying things passing through her head. 

Falling through the sky, without Dick to catch her.  
Being alone and helpless as the monster pressed its hands on her throat. There was no fire to save her.  
Being alone in a dark void, except not truly alone.  
Something was reaching through the void, baring its teeth at her, reaching out to snatch her. 

Ryla shook her head, trying not to let that particular image linger. She wanted to call out for someone. They would... What would they do? She tried to recall what her parents had done whenever she'd had nightmares. There was no clarity. No memory of bad dreams. No memory of the things that calmed her down. Ryla couldn't stop herself from shaking. She couldn't stop as her eyes misted over and tears started spilling. She did her best to stifle the noise she was making, burying her face in the pillow. What was she supposed to do? How could she make the dreams go away? 

All Ryla knew was that she wasn't falling asleep again any time soon. She glanced down at Mojo, hoping that he would become a real monkey and at least giver her some company. It was wishful thinking. After all the monkey had done to keep her safe, he wasn't waking up any time soon. The events of that evening replayed through Ryla's mind. She did her best to wipe away tears the formed at the edges of her eyes. Mojo wasn't the only one who'd gotten hurt because of her. 

Ryla untangled herself from her sheets, ignoring the pain in her body and made her way into the hallway. If she couldn't sleep, then she could at least check in on Alfred. Even if he was sleeping, maybe she'd feel better if she saw that he really was ok. She hoped she didn't wake anyone while she went searching for Alfred's room. She stayed on her tiptoes as she wandered the halls, doing her best not to wince with every stab of pain. One bedroom door was cracked open. Ryla peeked inside and saw Alfred sleeping peacefully on a bed. Some of the tension in Ryla's shoulders melted away as she saw the rise and fall of Alfred's breathing. 

"Ryla, what are you doing?" 

Ryla let out a squeak and jumped around, bumping into Jason. She took a small step back and looked up at Jason. He didn't look mad that she was awake and out of her room. 

"Um...I couldn't sleep," Ryla replied, trying to keep her voice steady. "And I was worried about Alfred, so I wanted to check up on him." 

Jason didn't say anything for a moment. Ryla started to curl in on herself. Was he mad? Maybe she should've just stayed in her room. Sitting alone with the pain and the dreams would be better than making one of them mad. 

"Ryla, did something make you wake up?" Jason asked, kneeling in front of her. 

Ryla opened her mouth to say 'no' but quickly stopped herself. After a moment, she managed a small nod. 

"Was it a nightmare?" 

"A really bad one," she mumbled. 

Jason reached out and ruffled her hair. "Yeah, nightmares are really scary. We all get some pretty bad ones." 

"You do?" 

"We're heroes. Sometimes, really bad things happen, and they tend to stick around," he explained. "Do you want me to take you back to your room?" 

Ryla shook her head. "I don't wanna be alone." 

"Well, we can go see if Dick's still awake," Jason suggested. "I'm sure he'd be more than happy to keep you company." 

Jason offered his hand. Ryla took it and let him lead her down the halls of the manor. Jason noticed that Ryla winced every now and then. Had she been injured in the attack and they hadn't noticed? He quickly shook the thought away. The only injuries she'd gotten were to her throat and her ankle. Neither justified the stiff way she was moving. He tried to shake the worry out of his head. She was in Dick's care for the moment. If something was wrong, he would handle it. Dick had a knack for taking care of people. He could take care of this kid too.

Jason knocked lightly on Dick's door. Dick opened it a second later and took a moment to register that Jason was standing there with Ryla.

"Is everything alright?" Dick asked. 

"She had a nightmare," Jason answered. 

"I didn't want to be alone," Ryla mumbled. 

"Then, I'd be happy to keep you company," Dick replied, giving Ryla a small smile. 

Ryla took a few tentative steps into Dick's room. Jason motioned for a quick private word. 

"Is something up?" Dick inquired. 

"You're seeing the way she's moving?" 

He gave Jason a nod. "It's kind of hard not to." 

"She's in pain," Jason stated. "A lot of pain." 

"I'll see if I can find out why," Dick assured him. "You should go back to bed. This is one of your few nights off. Get all the sleep you can." 

Jason gave a small nod and left Dick with Ryla. Ryla was still standing up. She glanced over at Dick, waiting for him to tell her what to do. Dick patted the spot next to him on the bed. She took a seat, curling into a ball. 

"Do you want to talk about the nightmare?" He asked gently. 

"It was a lot of different things," Ryla answered softly. "Some of it didn't make sense." 

"Not a lot of things in dreams do." 

"There was a monster, in the dark. It was reaching for me," Ryla recalled. Her voice began to shake. "It wanted to bite me." 

"Was it the one you saw tonight?" 

She quickly shook her head. "It was worse. It was white, and was coming out of the shadows and had horrible teeth and bugs crawling all over and--" 

Ryla started talking faster the more she talked about the monster. Her eyes widened and she started rocking herself back and forth. 

"Hey, it's okay," Dick said softly, rubbing circles on her back. "It's okay. You don't have to tell me what it looked like. Just take some deep breaths." 

Dick started coaching her, taking exaggerated breaths with her. She looked like she was going to start crying as Dick finally got her breathing to a normal rate. 

"Dick, I'm really scared. I...I don't wanna see more monsters." 

"It's okay to be scared," he replied. "You've seen a lot of scary things. But I promise, I'll do everything I can to keep you safe and get you home." 

"Is it ever gonna stop being scary?" 

"I don't know. Being scared is different for everybody." 

"Do you get scared?" 

"Yeah," Dick answered without a second thought. "There are a lot of things that scare me." 

"How do you stop being scared?"

"Sometimes, you don't. And that's okay. Being scared is part of being human." 

Ryla took a moment, mulling over Dick's words. Eventually, she gave him a small nod. After that, her eyes started drifting closed. Dick didn't have the heart to make her walk all the way back to her room, especially if Jason was right about her being in pain. He gently moved her over so that she had a pillow under her head. When he was sure Ryla was asleep, he settled down and closed his eyes. 

When Dick awoke, he saw Ryla sitting at the window. She seemed completely enamored with whatever had caught her attention. Dick stretched his arms and made his way over. 

"What are you watching?" He asked. 

"The birds," Ryla replied. "They're really pretty. And their songs are nice." 

Ryla was staring at a little bird that was brown and grey, with a bit of red on the top of its head. 

"That's a finch," Dick stated. "Did you see any other birds?" 

Ryla nodded. "There was one that was all red, and had a giant crest on its head." 

"Cardinal," Dick said. 

"And one that was brown with a red belly." 

"That's a robin." 

"Those one's are pretty too," Ryla stated, still staring at the finch. "But I think my favorite's the finch. I don't think I saw any birds at home." 

Dick raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?" 

"I don't think there were any birds...when I look at them, I don't get the same foggy feeling. I just know that they're completely new." 

A light knock on the door kept Dick from asking any more questions. Tim poked his head inside. If he noticed Ryla, he didn't comment. 

"Bruce sent me to make sure you were awake. He heard back from Zatanna and wants to talk to you," Tim said. "Also, there's cereal for breakfast, unless you want to wait for Jay to cook something." 

"Thanks, Tim. We'll be down in a second." 

"Hey, Tim, what's your favorite bird?" Ryla asked, finally turning away from the window. 

"I'm pretty partial to robins," Tim replied. "Why?" 

"No reason. Just looking at birds, so I wanted to ask." 

"Alright," Tim said, giving Dick an amused smile. "I'll see you guys downstairs." 

Dick managed to pull Ryla away from the window and got her back to her room. She wasn't moving as stiffly as she had last night and she seemed more calm. He noticed her gently pet Mojo's head when she saw him, still a stuffed animal. Dick left her to get ready and went back to his room. He pulled on some fresh clothes and made his way downstairs. Ryla had beat him downstairs and was talking to Bruce, still fixated on the birds. 

"Dick, everyone in your family really likes robins," she stated when she noticed him. "It's kind of funny." 

"Well, robins are pretty special in our family," Dick replied. 

"Why?" 

"You know how I'm Nightwing?" Dick asked, getting a nod from Ryla. "Well, before I was Nightwing, my name was Robin." 

"You were named after a bird?" 

"Yeah. And after I became Nightwing, Jason was Robin, and then Tim, and now Damian's Robin." 

"Cool," Ryla mused. "So when Damian grows up, someone else is gonna be Robin?" 

Dick gave a shrug. "Maybe. We don't always know." Dick left Ryla to ponder that and turned his attention to Bruce. "So, what did Zatanna say?" 

"She and Constantine should be able to come by in three days," Bruce answered. "Zatanna was a little troubled when I told her Ryla used dark magic." 

"I didn't mean to," Ryla piped. "It just happened." 

"We know," Dick said gently. "But that's why Zatanna and Constantine are going to come. They're going to make sure you don't accidentally use magic that could hurt yourself or somebody else." 

"In the meantime, you're going to have to stay with somebody so that we make sure you stay safe," Bruce added. 

"What about getting home?" 

"We're still working on that," Dick assured her. "And knowing why you have magic should give us some answers on why you were sucked into that portal." 

Ryla didn't have anything else to say for the rest of the conversation. Dick eventually suggested that she join Jason in the kitchen. She gave a small nod and ran off towards the kitchen. Dick and Bruce discussed the possibility of giving Ryla some self defense training while she was staying at the mansion. Only as a precaution in case another monster showed up. Dick would not expect them to teach her much before they got her home, but it'd be enough that she wouldn't be completely helpless.


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm back! Sorry for the silence. Sometimes fan projects need to get put on hold. Things got a little stressful. But I'm back now and I hope you like the chapter. Sorry if you think the plot's moving along slowly. I promise it'll start picking up.  
> My update schedule now that I'm on break will probably be once or twice every two weeks. After, I'll try to update once a month.
> 
> Enjoy!

Three days should not have been a problem. It should've been the easiest thing in the world. It started out pretty easy. Ryla seemed to enjoy being around Cass, Jason, Tim and even Bruce, who, while he did have a soft spot for children, could be a little...difficult to get along with. They weren't the problem. 

"What is your problem?!" Ryla exclaimed. 

"I don't know what you're talking about!" Damian shouted. 

"Yes you do, you jerk!" 

Dick let out a sigh. Ryla and Damian did not get along in the slightest. Dick wasn't expecting Damian to be warm towards her, but he certainly wasn't expecting him to be antagonistic. Ryla wasn't any better at handling it. She was high strung, and not all that patient either, though children rarely were. He found the two of the squabbling in the living room. Damian had Ryla's notebook and was holding it out of her reach. 

"What's going on?" Dick asked. 

"He took my notebook when I got up to go sharpen my pencil," Ryla answered. "And he's been a massive jerk all day." 

"I've been investigating," Damian snapped. 

"How have you been investigating?" Dick interjected. 

"He went through my backpack," Ryla stated. 

"I was checking for any other possible magical items." 

"Took my notebook," Ryla continued with a sharp glare. 

"I'm trying to determine the connection between her and the monsters," Damian replied, still holding the notebook. 

"And he hurt Mojo!" Ryla exclaimed. 

Dick whipped his head towards Damian with wide eyes. The first two offenses were pretty standard for Damian, but he had a very strict policy about not hurting innocent animals. 

"I was trying to figure out what triggers the monkey," Damian stated. 

"You poked him with a needle!" Ryla snapped. "He's already hurt!" 

"How do you know?! It's a stuffed animal!" Damian exclaimed. 

"Alright, enough!" Dick interjected, silencing the two. "Damian, give Ryla her notebook. Ryla, why don't you go hang out with Jason in the library?" 

He was thankful that neither decided to argue with him. Damian handed Ryla her notebook and the two exchanged death glares as Ryla left for the library. Dick let out another sigh and turned towards Damian. 

"What?" Damian asked sharply. "We need to know more about her." 

"Yes, but there's a way to go about it, Damian," Dick replied. "Which includes earning her trust. You can't do that if you're constantly pushing her buttons." 

"It's an effective way to get her to show her true motives," Damian reasoned. 

"She fell out of the sky," Dick stated. "She literally came into existence a few days ago." 

"All the more reason we should be more cautious," Damian argued. "For all we know, she could end up blinking us all out of existence to ensure her own." 

"And messing with her things is treating her with caution?" 

"I'm assessing the situation." 

Dick resisted the urge to let out a frustrated grunt. "And did you really mess with Mojo?" 

"I attempted to get him to 'wake up,'" Damian admitted. "She's overexaggerating." 

"Except that there's a lot of evidence that points to her sharing some kind of physical connection with him," Dick explained. "So hurting the monkey is a big deal, Damian. We don't fully understand what's going on." 

"She doesn't even exist!" Damian exclaimed. "She shouldn't even be here!" 

"What does he mean, I don't exist?"

Dick's eyes widened when he saw Ryla standing in the doorway. She was looking between Damian and Dick. Her breathing was shallow as she stared at them. He spotted her abandoned pencil on the table where she'd been drawing. 

"Ryla--" Dick started. 

"What does he mean?" she repeated. "How can I not exist?!" 

"I mean that every detail you've given about your life isn't real," Damian stated. "The family you described isn't real, your hometown isn't the way you describe it and there's no Ryla Stevens anywhere." 

"Dick? He's lying...right?" 

"It's complicated, Ryla," Dick answered. 

"How?! Do I exist or not?!" 

"We're not entirely sure," Dick replied. "There's a lot we're figuring out. But that doesn't change the fact that we're going to get you back to your family. 

"Does she even remember them?" Damian asked coldly. 

"Of course I do!" Ryla snapped. "I mean...I think...stop confusing me!"

"I can't help it if you make it so easy." 

"Damian," Dick interjected sharply. "Not. Helping." 

"We can't keep letting her pretend that she's real," Damian reasoned. 

"I _am_ real," she retorted. "I wouldn't be here if I wasn't."

"Then tell us about your life," Damian demanded. "Tell us more details that will eventually fall apart and disappear from your memory or be a piece of fiction." 

"Eb teiuq!" Ryla exclaimed. 

Damian opened his mouth to say more, but no sound came out of his mouth. Ryla's eyes widened as Damian tried to speak. She kept looking between Dick and Damian, at a loss at what to do. 

"Ryla," Dick said slowly. 

"I swear, I didn't mean--" she stammered out. "I...I just wanted him to shut up. I didn't--" 

"Okay, Ryla, don't start panicking," Dick interjected, doing his best to keep his voice level. "I'm sure we can figure out how to fix this." 

Damian shot Dick a glare. _This was not going to help the two get along_. 

Bruce came into the living room with Tim and Cass at his side. 

"We heard yelling," Bruce stated. "Is everything alright?" 

"Well, not exactly," Dick replied. 

Damian quickly showed off his inability to speak, casting accusatory looks at Ryla. She shrank under everyone's attention. 

"They were arguing and she just...cast a spell on accident," Dick explained. 

"Well, it's not all that bad," Tim replied, glancing at Damian. "I mean, it's an effective way to get him to stop being irritating. Hey, kid, think you could do Jason next?" 

Ryla shook her head. A tiny smile appeared for just a second, then she looked back at Damian's unhappy expression and it vanished. 

"Tim," Bruce scolded. "This isn't funny." 

"Maybe the spell is temporary," Cass signed, drawing everyone's attention. "Maybe she isn't strong enough to make it permanent." 

"Well, I would prefer to have my voice back now," Damian signed back. 

Ryla tugged on Dick's sleeve. "What are they saying?" 

"Cass thinks there's a possibility that the spell is only temporary," Dick translated. "Although Damian would like a more immediate solution." 

Ryla hung her head. "Sorry. I didn't mean to make trouble." 

"If your magic works like Zatanna's, then speaking backwards will cast a spell that can give Damian his voice back," Bruce stated. 

Ryla nodded quickly. She went silent for a moment. Dick saw her eyes scanning the air, almost as if she was visualizing the words backwards. They waited patiently as she figured out what she needed to say. 

"Evig Naimad sih eciov," she said slowly. 

Damian rolled his eyes. "Well, that's a relief." 

"It worked!" Ryla cheered. 

"Yes, thank you fixing a problem you caused," Damian replied flatly. 

"It was an accident," Ryla retorted. 

"Sure." 

"It was! And it wouldn't have happened if you weren't a jerk!" 

" _Aaand_ they're at it again," Tim sighed. "Wonderful." 

Bruce and Dick were quick to separate the two before they could get too involved in their argument. Bruce took Damian down to the cave to do some training with him and Cass. Tim and Dick decided to take Ryla to see Alfred, who had been going crazy staying in bed for the day. Dick would admit that it wasn't as bad as when Damian and Tim had first met. Some of that might have to do with the fact that Damian had been with them for two years and had a better handle on his people skills. At least there hadn't been any attempted murder...


	9. Chapter 9

Dick returned to the Bat Cave after a long patrol of Gotham just after three in the morning. One glance at the date and it finally hit him that it was finally the day for Zatanna and Constantine to come and take a look at Ryla. 

They had been lucky enough to not have to deal with anymore accidental magic. Ryla had taken to avoiding Damian at all costs. While Dick would prefer for them to be able to tolerate each other, avoidance was better than the constant arguing. Mojo had also started to shift between being dormant and being awake. There were still some signs of the injuries he sustained from the monster and he spent most of his time either on Ryla's shoulder or in her arms, but he was awake, and it put Ryla at ease. That was a saving grace, considering that after the first night, Ryla started having constant nightmares. She didn't say a lot about what was in them. If Dick was out on patrol, Jason or Alfred took the job of getting her back to sleep. Each of them had caught various snippets: she was falling or trapped somewhere dark or facing the monster again without any magic to save her. The one that concerned Dick the most was when he heard her mutter something about a monster trying to swallow her. 

As he walked up to bed, he peeked into Ryla's room. She was curled up in a ball, clutching Mojo in her sleep. She didn't look peaceful, but she wasn't crying either. Dick hoped that she'd get a full night of sleep. He left silently and made his way to bed.

The day passed without any incidents. Everyone was anticipating Constantine and Zatanna's arrival. They were eager in their own ways to understand where Ryla came from. Ryla kept herself buried in her notebook. If Dick had to guess, she was probably sketching out the small things she could remember. When she wasn't drawing, Dick took her down to the cave to learn some self-defense with Jason. Bruce would've been with them, but he was needed at Wayne Enterprises. 

"So, you're gonna want to keep your hand flat, just like this," Jason instructed, modeling for Ryla. "Then, you're gonna aim for right under the chin. Hit hard and then bring your arm back as fast as you can. Go ahead and try it on the dummy." 

"Like this?" Ryla asked, trying to mimic him. 

"Don't let your fingers spread out," Dick advised. "Now, hit it right where Jason told you." 

Ryla gave a small nod and hit the dummy as hard as she could. She winced a little and shook her hand. 

"Make sure it's your palm that hits," Dick said encouragingly. "Your fingers like to bend. That's why it hurts." 

Ryla took a quick breath and hit the dummy again. Dick and Jason watched, happy to see her do it properly. 

"Good job, Squirt," Jason commented. 

"This is kind of fun," Ryla replied. 

Jason nodded. "Yeah, just a little." 

"Let's not encourage her to enjoy fighting," Dick piped, giving Jason a pointed look. 

"I'm not encouraging her to enjoy it. I'm just agreeing with her statement." 

Dick rolled his eyes and turned back towards Ryla. "Now, Ryla, hitting a dummy and fighting a real person are very different. We're not teaching you this so you go looking for a fight." 

"I know," she said with a reassuring smile. "I promise, I won't go looking for a fight. But learning this stuff is still kinda fun." 

Dick ruffled Ryla's hair with a smile. They continued with the lesson for another hour before Alfred made them come up for some lunch. They joined Cassandra and Damian in the dining room. Ryla asked Jason and Cassandra a million different questions about random topics. 

It was late into the evening when Constantine and Zatanna appeared in the cave. Ryla was sitting on the ground, playing with Mojo. Cassandra watched her, occasionally scratching the monkey on the head. Bruce, Tim and Dick were at the computer, keeping an eye on Jason, Damian and Kate while they patrolled. 

The giant, glowing sigil appeared in the cave. 

"'Ello again, Batsy," Constantine said as he walked in through the sigil with Zatanna at his side. "What have you gotten yourselves into this time?" 

"Whoa," Ryla gasped. "How'd you do that?" 

"Just a standard portal, luv," Constantine replied. "Is this the magic user?" 

"Yeah," Dick answered. "This is Ryla, and the monkey is Mojo." 

"Nice to meet you," Ryla piped. 

"It's nice to meet you too, Ryla," Zatanna replied. "I'm Zatanna, and this is John." 

"How'd you get a monkey?" Constantine inquired, staring at Mojo as he climbed onto Ryla's shoulder. 

"Don't know," Ryla answered. "He just showed up in Dick's apartment after he saved me. Can you get me home?" 

"We're hoping to give Batsy an idea of where 'home' is," Constantine replied. "And maybe figure out what's making your memories fade." 

"Now, can you tell us about what happened a few days ago?" Zatanna asked, kneeling in front of Ryla. "Bruce told us a little bit, but I'd like to hear about it from you." 

Ryla glanced over at Dick. He gave her an encouraging nod and she began to recount the events from a few days ago. Zatanna and Constantine listened closely as Ryla described the creature that had attacked her and how using the magic had felt. Zatanna kept her expression neutral as she listened. However, Dick saw Constantine frown as Ryla finished her story.

"So, how deep do we need to go?" Constantine asked as Zatanna turned towards him. 

"Deep," Zatanna answered. 

"Well then, down memory lane," he sighed, pulling a bronze coin out of his pocket. 

"What's that?" Ryla asked, eyeing the coin warily. 

"Just something that'll allow us to see your memories," Constantine explained. "Just relax. It's not going to do anything to you." 

"Are you sure?" 

"You can trust them, Ryla," Dick assured her. "They know what they're doing." 

Ryla sat completely still as Constantine placed the coin on her forehead. Zatanna and Constantine disappeared inside the coin and Ryla's eyes glazed over. Dick tried not to feel nervous. He wasn't quite sure where they'd go if Constantine and Zatanna couldn't give them any answers. Everyone in the cave was quiet, waiting for the two sorcerers to return.

They had been inside the coin for about two minutes when Ryla started to panic. Her gaze was still unfocused, but her whole body started to shake and her eyes began to water. Mojo began to circle her frantically. 

Constantine and Zatanna returned a second later. Once the coin fell off of Ryla's head, she began sobbing into her hands. 

"Why is that in my head?" she cried. " _What_ was it?" 

Dick knelt next to her, gently rubbing her back. "It's ok, Ryla. It was just a memory." 

"Batsy, we need a word," Constantine said darkly. "You too, Richard." 

Ryla grabbed onto Dick's hand, shaking her head. 

"Cass, do you mind sitting with her for a minute?" he asked, turning towards his little sister. 

Cass nodded and gently pulled Ryla's hand away from Dick's. He ran over to join Bruce, Constantine and Zatanna. The dark looks on the their faces did not ease his nerves. 

"What did you find?" Dick asked. 

"Nothing good," Zatanna answered. "The reason she's been losing her memories is because they aren't real." 

"What?!" 

Zatanna motioned for Dick to let her finish. "They were created magically. She created them herself." 

Dick's eyes widened. "How? She didn't even know she could do magic until a few days ago." 

"That's where the bad memories come in," Constantine replied. "That kid isn't from this universe. She's not even from this _multiverse_." 

"So you figured out where she's from," Bruce stated. 

"Yes, and it's not good," Zatanna said softly. "There are two multiverses. Our multiverse and the dark multiverse. That's where dark magic spawns from. It got to our multiverse through rifts after Hecate first drew power from it. There's a rift between them. That's where Ryla's from." 

"From what we can gather in her head, stray pieces of magic collided while traveling between the multiverses," Constantine continued. "Enough of it combined to create her, and she got the attention of something nasty from the dark multiverse. That thing that attacked her was a servant of the otherkind. It was sent by Upside-down Man. He's been watching her from the dark multiverse. She got glimpses of our multiverse, and the dark multiverse. She created a little, pretend life for herself as a defense mechanism, something to keep her from going mad. She didn't even know she was doing it." 

Dick glanced over at Ryla. She was curled in a ball while Cassandra gently ran a hand through her hair. Mojo sat at her feet, almost like a sentry. She didn't have a family to go home to. From what Constantine and Zatanna had said, she didn't even have a home. 

"If she's going to stand a chance, she'll need to learn how to control her magic," Zatanna stated. "From what I can gather, Mojo is a familiar of sorts. There's also the challenge of determining what the price of her magic is." 

"How is that a challenge?" Bruce inquired. 

"She doesn't have a normal soul," Constantine stated. "Any magic user can sense it. Dark magic takes a toll on a person's soul. That's the price they pay, but her soul was made in part, from dark magic. The price for it isn't on her soul. It has to have some other kind of toll on her. Until we know what it is, it'll be risky to train her." 

"And if Upside-down Man sends more otherkind after her, she won't be able to protect herself until she knows how to use it," Zatanna added. 

Dick let out a sigh. "Well, we've gotten more answers than we thought we would. We have a place to start. Thank you." 

"Keep us updated," Zatanna replied. "We'd be happy to help out if you need it." 

"We'll keep that in mind," Bruce said with a nod. 

Zatanna and Constantine gave Ryla a small wave as they left. Dick took her upstairs and put her in bed. 

"What did they say?" Ryla asked as she curled up under her sheets. "Do they know why those things are in my head?" 

"They said a lot of things," Dick replied. "And we'll talk about it in the morning, ok?" 

Ryla managed a small nod. "I can't remember home much anymore...it's just a bunch of blurry images and a lot of shadows." 

"We'll talk about it in the morning," Dick repeated. "Try to get some sleep." 

He made sure to leave Ryla's door open just a crack as he left so that the light from the hall shined in just a little. He rejoined Bruce, Tim and Cass in the cave. He suspected that Bruce had filled the others in on what Constantine and Zatanna had said. A slight feeling of dread settled in Dick's stomach when he thought about explaining it to Ryla. He glanced over Tim's shoulder as he typed up documents on the computer. He quickly realized that Tim was creating an identity for Rlya. 

"Figured we'd need to get a head start," Tim stated when he noticed Dick looking over the documents. "I'm assuming we're not sending her back to the rift where she came from." 

"No, we're not," Dick replied. "After what they said, there's no way it'd be safe for Ryla. But...just wait until I talk to her before making some of this stuff final." 

"She won't handle it well," Bruce said matter-of-fact. "With everything she's been through--" 

"I know," Dick interjected. 

"Will she remember any of the things she saw in the rift?" Tim inquired. 

"She already does," Bruce answered. "She just doesn't know it. That's what her drawings are." 

Bruce and Tim's conversation continued, but Dick stopped paying attention. His eyes had landed on the birth certificate Tim was forging. The blank certificate made his dread even worse. Tomorrow would not be easy...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, you finally know where Ryla comes from! I tried to keep the explanation as simple as possible as well as expanding on my understanding of how magic works in the DC universe. If any of you have any thoughts to add, feel free to tell me. I'll try and get the next chapter out ASAP.  
> Happy holidays to you all!


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Honestly, not my best work. I don't know why, but I'm running into a brick wall with this story at the moment. I know some of the later plot, but I'm having trouble getting there. So this chapter is a little bit shorter than what I normally do. I may come back and add more to it if/when I get a better sense of the pacing and how to really connect the plot.

Dick knew the moment that Ryla walked into the dining room and didn't spare a glance at any breakfast that he couldn't put off the discussion. Alfred didn't protest as Dick led Ryla out of the room. He ended up taking her to the garden and sat with her on a stone bench. Her eyes drifted to the trees. Dick cracked a small smile at what had become her morning ritual. 

"So, what did they say?" Ryla asked, facing Dick. "Do you know how to get me home now?" 

"Ryla, before we start talking about that, can you tell me a little bit more about your memories?" Dick inquired. "You don't have to go into detail, just tell me what you can." 

"I mean, I don't remember that much. Whenever I try to think about it all I get are bits and pieces," she stated, her brows furrowing. "All I can really see is shadows and this giant...I don't know what it is. A window? But the outside changes every time I look out. And, I know there's something in the shadows." 

"Ryla, don't you remember any other people?" 

Ryla took a moment before shaking her head. "No. I can't remember anybody before I met you. But...that can't be right, because when I came I told you I had a mom and a dad." 

Dick took a deep breath. "Ryla, I'm going to tell you a lot of things and I need you to understand that you might not like them."

"It can't be worse than not knowing, right?" 

"Ryla, the memories you had...while Zatanna and Constantine looked through them, they discovered that they weren't real," Dick said slowly. "They were magically created." 

Ryla's eyes widened. "What?" 

"The reason they began to fade when you got here was because they weren't needed anymore," he continued. 

"But...I don't understand," Ryla stammered. "Who would want to give me fake memories? Why--?" 

"You made them, Ryla." 

Ryla's jaw dropped and she stared at the ground. Dick saw how her grip on the edge of the bench tightened. 

"You made fake memories based off glimpses of this universe that you saw. It was a coping mechanism," Dick explained. "Something to keep you from going insane, because you're not from here. They said you were created because of colliding pieces of magic." 

Ryla shook her head. "No...No, I don't believe you. They're wrong. I just need to try harder and I'll remember again. I just--" 

"You were born in a rift between multiverses," Dick said calmly. "Those monsters, those shadows, are from the dark multiverse. Someone called Upside-down Man was watching you, trying to reach you." 

"But that can't be it!" Ryla cried. "That can't be all I've ever known! I don't want my life to be nightmares and monsters and fake families! They had to be real! If they weren't real then what does that make me?!" 

Dick watched as Ryla's body shook with sobs and tears started streaming down her face. Dick pulled her close, hoping that she might at least not feel so alone. 

"Dick, I wanna be real," she choked out. 

"You are real," he replied softly. "And I'm going to do everything I can to keep you safe."

Ryla continued to cry for half and hour. Dick did the best he could to comfort her. When all her tears dried up, she went inside without a word. Her silence continued for most of the day. No one could get more than three words out of her. She spent most of her time locked in her room, staring at her drawings.

Damian was walking by Ryla's room and heard the distinct sound of paper tearing. He opened the door just a bit and saw her sitting on her bed, ripping pages out of her notebook. There was a pile of tiny bits of paper surrounding her. He watched as she shredded the paper in her hands. He found himself appalled by the act. His own sketchbook was one of his most prized possessions. If any of the drawings inside it were destroyed, he'd be furious with the culprit. So why would she shred her own work? 

He pushed open the door and cleared his throat. "What are you doing?" 

"Not your business," Ryla answered apathetically, continuing in her shredding. 

"Grayson's worried about you," Damian stated. "Given your behavior, I can see why." 

"Why do you care? You don't even like me," Ryla replied sharply. 

"I don't like most people." 

"Just leave me alone," she said numbly. 

Damian rolled his eyes and stared over her shoulder. "It's a shame. You do have a little bit of talent." 

"Did you not hear me?" Ryla snapped. " I said--" 

"I know what you said," Damian interjected. "And I chose to ignore it. Why are you shredding them?" 

"Because they're not real," Ryla answered. "Nothing about me is real. _I'm_ not...real. You were right..." 

"I was right in the sense that you didn't exist in this universe. However, given the developments, it is safe to say that you are real, even if I dislike that fact. You exist now." 

"Why are you still talking to me? You don't care about me. If anything, you hate me." 

"Trust me, if I hated you, you wouldn't still be here," Damian said sternly. "The only reason I'm getting involved is because you've endeared yourself to Grayson and he's concerned for your well-being." 

Ryla glanced down at her hands with a tight frown. Damian took it to mean that she was ashamed of worrying Grayson. While Damian care-- _greatly respected_ Grayson, he got attached to others quite easily. It was something he didn't fully understand. Still, at least she had the decency to be upset about the distress she was causing. 

"My point is, you're here now, and you have no home to go back to," Damian stated, causing Ryla to flinch. "So, instead of sitting in here, moping and destroying somewhat decent drawings, that are evidence, I might add, accept what you've learned and start helping Grayson figure out how to integrate yourself into our universe." 

Ryla shut her notebook and glared at Damian. "You're such a jerk." 

"So you've said," Damian replied with a wave of his hand. "And I don't really care what you have to say about me. Just stop acting like a child and start doing something useful." 

He lazily dodged the pillow that was thrown at his head. Ryla stood from her bed and grabbed her notebook, while Mojo climbed onto her shoulder. 

"I'm starting to regret learning how to give you your voice back." 

"Go complain about it with Drake." 

"I just might," she snapped as she walked out the door. "And get out of my room." 

Damian rolled his eyes as he followed her out. Ryla immediately went to the cave and listened as Drake explained the different documents he was forging. Damian ignored them as he trained. At least she stopped moping in her room.


	11. Chapter 11

Dick did his best to encourage Ryla when she was out of her room and interacting with the others in the mansion. She still wasn't acting like her usual self. While it was good that she was out of her room, it wasn't hard to notice that she was out of it. It was hard to get a smile out of her. The only time she looked even remotely content was when she was doing her daily bird-watching or when she was training with Dick and Jason in the cave. 

In fact, the training seemed to be the only thing she put any effort into. She pushed herself harder every day. She protested when Jason and Dick told her it was time to stop for the day. They had to keep a close eye on her to make sure she wasn't sneaking into the cave behind their backs to do more. She grumbled every time they caught her. They tried everything to distract her when they ended training; reading with her, trying to get her interested in drawing something, they even asked Alfred to help distract her. He graciously decided to start tutoring her so that she could go to school once everything was finalized. Alfred succeeded in distracting Ryla more than the other attempts, mostly because he refused to let her sneak away until her work was complete. Everyone was getting concerned with Ryla's obsession with training. 

Constantine and Zatanna returned briefly to put up magical wards around the mansion. While they trusted Bruce, Dick and the others to be capable protectors in normal circumstances, the two magicians refused to take chances with a threat as serious as Upside-down Man. Those were Zatanna's exact words. Dick was grateful for the extra layer of protection. Magic wasn't exactly their forte. 

Tim finished creating the documents for Ryla not too long after. The only thing they needed was a birthday. When she was asked for her preference, Ryla stared into space with a blank look. 

"Does it really matter?" she asked softly. "It's a date on a piece of paper." 

Dick couldn't think of a response. He looked to Bruce and Alfred, hoping for some guidance. Bruce looked just as lost as he was, and Alfred merely shook his head with a small frown. He turned back to Ryla and saw her point her finger at a random date on the calendar. 

"That one, I guess," she said numbly. 

So, Tim put March 17th down as Ryla's birthday.

Nights weren't any easier for her. Ever since the revelation of where she came from, Ryla couldn't sleep for a whole night. She would wake up at least once in a panic. On especially bad nights, she would have night terror. Dick did his best to help her calm down. He wished he could tell her that the monsters in her nightmares were far away and that she'd never have to see them again. Unfortunately, those were promises he couldn't make. 

After spending ten days at Wayne Manor, Dick got a phone call from his partner. Ryla was in the library with Alfred. Dick was checking in on them when his phone rang. He saw the ID for Amy Rohrbach quickly answered. 

"Grayson, where have you been?" Amy asked. 

"Nice to talk to you too, Rohrbach." 

"You haven't come in for ten days. Where have you been?" 

"A family emergency popped up," Dick answered. "I had to take a quick trip to Gotham." 

"That isn't a quick trip," she replied dryly. 

"Is there a specific reason you're calling?" Dick inquired. "It's not just to chew me out for being absent." 

"The captain needs you to show up tomorrow," Amy stated. "We've got a big case and it's all hands on deck."

Dick considered arguing with her, but he knew that she wouldn't have been told to call him if it wasn't big. He peeked into the library, catching a glimpse of Ryla reading out loud to Alfred. He wasn't sure he could take her back to Bludhaven just yet. He wouldn't have the magical wards that had been put up around the mansion. Ryla would have to stay in his apartment, by herself, for most of the day until she was enrolled in school. Would he even be able to handle any magic she used on his own? Could he leave her here in Gotham? Just until things were sorted out?

"Rookie?" Amy piped, pulling Dick away from his thoughts. 

"Alright," he answered. "I'll be back at the station tomorrow."

He and Amy exchanged goodbyes and then he focused on his next predicament. He knocked lightly on the doorframe of the library. Alfred and Ryla paused their reading activity and gave him their full attention. 

"Ryla, I need to talk to you for a minute," Dick stated. 

Ryla glanced back at Alfred. When he nodded, she followed Dick into the hall. 

"How's the reading going?" Dick asked. 

Ryla gave a small shrug. "It's easy. Alfred says he might get me started on _The Tale of Despereaux_." 

"That'd be a good book for you. I think you'll enjoy it. How's math coming?" 

"It's boring," Ryla huffed. "And hard. The numbers don't make a whole lot of sense. I like reading better. So, what did you want to talk about?" 

"I just got off the phone with my partner from the BPD, that's where I work," Dick answered. "I have to go in tomorrow for an important case." 

"So we're going back to Bludahaven?" 

Dick took a deep breath, praying that his words didn't come out wrong. "I have to go back to Bludhaven, but I think it would be best for you to stay here in Gotham." 

"What?! Why?!" 

He placed a hand on her shoulder. "I can't take care of you in Bludhaven. The mansion has protection against any magical threats and you'll have people to look after you." 

"No!" Ryla exclaimed. "I don't--! I won't--! Dick!" 

"I can't keep you safe on my own. Not yet," Dick reasoned. "Gotham is the safest place for you." 

"But I don't want you to go!" Ryla cried. "Don't go! Or let me go with you! _Please_!" 

"I have to do my job," Dick replied. "And you need to stay safe. I'm not going to be gone forever." 

"C'mon, Dick! I'll do anything you ask, just don't leave me behind! I'll stop waking you up after having a nightmare, or make Mojo stay asleep or--!" 

"Ryla," Dick interjected sternly. "I don't want you to do any of that. Understand? I never want you to do anything that could hurt yourself like that. I'm not leaving because of you. I have a job to do, and it's not safe to take you with me." 

Ryla looked at Dick with wet eyes. She opened and closed her mouth a few times, before turning around and running towards her room. Dick considered following her, but decided against it. She needed some space.

He heard footsteps coming towards him and turned to see Jason. 

"I heard yelling," Jason stated. "Who upset the kid?" 

"Me," Dick answered. "I have to go back to Bludhaven. I told Ryla that she's staying in Gotham." 

"Sounds like it didn't go over well." 

"It's the best thing to do," Dick said with a sigh. "I can't take her back to Bludhaven with me." 

"Yeah, yeah, you don't have to defend your decision to me," Jason replied with a wave of his hand. "We'll keep an eye on her. Go do what you need to do." 

"You're being oddly supportive," Dick commented. 

Jason shrugged. "She's a good kid. And she fits in around here. Besides, it's our job to look after innocent kids." 

"So, the Red Hood has a soft spot for little kids," Dick stated with a teasing smirk. 

"Keep it quiet," Jason said, nudging Dick with his elbow. "I have a reputation to maintain." 

"Whatever you say, Jay."

Dick gave Ryla some space for the rest of the day. As much as he wanted her to understand that he had to leave, he didn't want to push the discussion. There were a few times he was able to talk with her when she was wandering around the mansion, and she was fully engaged in their training session. But, she clammed up the moment there was a reference to Bludhaven. Mojo seemed hostile towards him. The monkey had attempted to bite Dick a few times, and he wasn't used to that kind of treatment from him. Ryla scolded him for it, but Mojo seemed reluctant to listen to her. 

The time for him to leave came after dinner. Dick made sure to say goodbye to everyone before making his exit. He found Bruce and Ryla waiting for him at the front door. As soon as he got off the stairs, Ryla ran at him and did her best to wrap him in a hug. 

"Please don't go," she said, burying her face in his chest. "I don't want you to go." 

"I'm gonna be back before you know it," Dick assured her.

Ryla didn't let go of him. Dick almost told Bruce that he was staying and that he could deal with work later. But, one look from Bruce reminded him that he had to make the best decision for Ryla and for himself. So, with a sigh, Dick separated himself from Ryla and gave her one last reassuring smile. 

"Make sure to listen to everyone," Dick said, gently patting her on the head. "Especially Alfred and Bruce. I promise, I'll be back soon."

Ryla managed to give him a small nod. With that, Dick began his drive back to Bludhaven.


	12. Chapter 12

Ryla did her best to stay strong once Dick left. She didn't want the others to see her crying and scribbling furiously in her notebook. She couldn't put the feelings in her head into words. All she knew was that when Dick left, she felt a feeling of overwhelming fear settle in her stomach and she hated it. Still, in the first few days following his departure, Ryla did her best with the work Alfred gave her and worked hard in training with Jason. 

Unfortunately, Ryla found her nightmares getting worse without Dick around. She still dreamt about being trapped in the rift and about the monsters reaching out to pull her to the Dark Multiverse. They whispered at her, calling her 'Riftling' and hissed at her as she screamed at them to leave her alone. But some nights, she'd have a glimpse of Bludhaven and she'd see Dick close by and she'd call out to him. But Dick never turned around. He walked farther away from Ryla and the monsters would drag her away.

It was one of those nights. Ryla thrashed in her sleep. Her body was desperate to wake her up. Energy filled the room, building up around the sleeping girl. Mojo was doing his best to wake Ryla, but she just wouldn't open her eyes. 

A loud crack echoed through the room. The bed collapsed, finally awakening Ryla. Cracks stretched across the floor from the now broken bed. Ryla sat up, breathing heavily. Her body protested to the sudden movement, sending sharp jolts of pain through her limbs. The energy that had filled the room was gone. Footsteps approached Ryla's room. Alfred opened the door and quickly turned on the light. His eyes widened as he took in the sight. 

"Are you alright?" he asked. 

Ryla shook her head. "I'm sorry. I broke the bed." 

"Alfred?" Bruce called from down the hall. "Is everything alright?" 

"Sir, I believe Ryla may have used her powers in her sleep," Alfred called back. 

Bruce appeared in Ryla's doorway a second later. He observed the room with a calm expression. Ryla pulled herself off of the broken bed, ignoring the pins and needles in her limbs and stepped around the cracks as she made her way over to them. Mojo followed her, shying away from the cracks as though they were going to swallow him. 

"Sorry," Ryla muttered, staring at the floor. "I didn't mean to." 

"It's alright," Bruce replied. "Are you hurt?" 

"I don't think so."

Bruce gave Ryla's shoulder a reassuring squeeze. "Alfred, why don't you take Ryla downstairs for something to calm her nerves. I'll sort this out." 

"Of course, sir," Alfred replied, gently leading her away from her room. 

A mug of Alfred's hot coco could only do so much to calm a terrified child. Every time she blinked, Ryla saw the images from her nightmare. She did her best to hide her wincing whenever her body protested to a movement she made. Everyone else was returning from a night on the streets and spotted her in the kitchen. Despite their concern and their attempts at trying to help her forget about the nightmares, she couldn't think of anything else. Ryla wished more than ever to be in Bludhaven with Dick. 

Eventually, Bruce and Alfred got Ryla settled in a different room and she went back to sleep. The morning was just as difficult as the night. Ryla couldn't focus on any of the work put in front of her. She absently scribbled on every piece of paper placed in front of her. She couldn't even bring herself to go train with Jason. She moved through the day in a haze. 

As Ryla stared down at her paper, she felt a tap on her shoulder. She turned to see Tim with a phone in his hands. 

"Bruce told me to call Dick to give him an update," he stated. "Do you want to talk to him?" 

Ryla nodded, finally smiling for the first time in the day. Jason dialed Dick's number and waited for him to pick up. 

Dick was sitting at his desk for his lunch break at the precinct when his phone started ringing. 

"This is Dick," he said when he answered. 

"It's Tim. Bruce told me to give you an update." 

"How is everything?" Dick asked. 

"I'll get to that in a sec," Tim replied. "First, there's someone that wants to talk to you." 

There was a brief silence on the phone as Tim handed it off. "Hi, Dick!" 

Dick couldn't help the smile that made its way onto his face. "Hi, Ryla. Is everything alright in Gotham?" 

"Mhm. Well...I accidentally broke my bed and the floor, but other than that, it's ok." 

"How did you break your bed?" 

"I was having a nightmare," Ryla admitted. "Alfred says it must've been bad because I used my magic in my sleep. Zatanna's coming by later to help me figure out how to fix it."

Dick frowned at the news. "Have they been getting worse?" 

"No." 

Ryla answered a little too fast. Dick tried not to be hurt that she was lying to him about it, but he didn't like the idea of her hiding things that scared her from him. He decided not to press the subject. He could talk to Tim about it once he took the phone back. 

"How about your work?" Dick inquired, masking his worry. 

"It's good," Ryla answered. "I still don't like math." 

Dick let out a small chuckle. "That's ok. Math isn't for everybody." 

"The numbers just don't make a lot of sense," Ryla explained. "I see them on the paper, but I can't figure out what they're supposed to mean. I don't like it, but Alfred makes me complete at least one sheet before I can go to the cave." 

"So you're still training?" 

"Yeah, but Jason's still being strict about when I can and can't train." 

"It's important not to push your body too far," Dick replied. "He's just trying to make sure you don't overdo it." 

"I know," Ryla mumbled. "But I like it. I wanna keep doing it." 

"And that means you have to listen to him when he tells you you're done," Dick stated firmly. 

"Do you know when you're coming back?" 

Dick didn't answer Ryla's question immediately. He glanced at the pile of work on his desk. 

"I'm not sure," he answered with a sigh. "There's a lot of work I've got to do, and it takes a lot of time." 

"Oh...ok." 

"You have to be a little patient. I'll be back before you know it." 

"You say that, but it doesn't feel true," Ryla grumbled. 

"I'm sorry, kiddo. I can't make time go faster," Dick replied. 

"Are you sure I can't come back to Bludhaven?" 

"Ryla, we talked about this." 

"I know, but it doesn't even have to be for a long time. Maybe just a day or two?" 

Dick could imagine the pleading look on her face as she asked the question. He steeled himself for her reaction when he gave her his answer. 

"Right now, you have to stay in Gotham," Dick stated. "It's the safest place for you." 

"But--" 

"It's not safe, Ryla," Dick repeated. "You have to--" 

"Be patient. Yeah, ok," Ryla finished with a huff. "Fine. I'll let you talk to Tim now." 

"Ryla--" 

There was the distinct noise of the phone being passed off. Dick let out a frustrated grunt. Amy glanced up from the work she was doing at her own desk with a raised eyebrow. 

"Well, that did the exact opposite of what we were hoping for," Tim stated. 

"The conversation started fine," Dick replied. "I have a feeling she left out a few details. How's she really been doing?" 

"She's been moody the entire time you've been gone," Tim answered bluntly. "She thinks she's doing a good job of hiding it, but she seems to have forgotten that we're all exceptionally good at reading people." 

"And the nightmares?" 

"She hasn't gotten a full night of sleep since you left. It's concerning. She won't even talk about what's in them. Just says she doesn't remember." 

"And?" 

"It's a big, fat lie. Seriously, she can't lie to save her life. But, if we try to get anything out of her, she just shakes her head and stops talking." 

"What about the incident last night?" Dick inquired. 

"Whatever she was dreaming about, it made her lash out in her sleep. The bed was destroyed and she made a bunch of cracks in the floor," Tim recalled. "You can't go anywhere near her room without getting hit with some pretty dark feelings." 

"So it was dark magic?" 

"We can't be sure until Zatanna gets here, but Bruce and Jay think that's what happened," Tim answered. "Given Jay's history with the All Caste and the Untitled, I'm inclined to believe him." 

"Anything else going on?" Dick asked. 

"A couple sting operations, some new gear in development at WE, but nothing else. What about Bludhaven?" 

"The work is slow, but I'm making headway," Dick answered. "Call me if anything else happens." 

"Will do. Talk to you later." 

"Bye." 

The line clicked, and Dick put away his cellphone. He stared at his work, but couldn't get himself to get back to work. He heard the sound of a chair scooting across the floor and was aware of Amy walking towards his desk. 

"What was that about?" Amy inquired. 

"Nothing," Dick replied. "It was just a thing with my family." 

"The thing that made you take ten days off?"

"It may or may not be related to that," he answered. 

"Is there anything specific you feel like divulging?" 

"Not at the moment," Dick stated. "We're still figuring everything out." 

Amy didn't push Dick for anymore information. He wasn't entirely sure what he could say about the whole situation. It's not like Amy would be able to help. Sure, she was a good mom and a good cop, but Dick doubted that she had any experience handling children with powers. 

An idea hit Dick like a truck. He knew exactly who he could call. He just needed to wait until he got off of work and was back in the privacy of his apartment. He felt a little stupid for not having thought of it sooner. Besides, he'd needed to give her a call for a while. It would be a valid excuse to talk to her and catch up a bit. 

When Dick entered his apartment after his long day of work, he immediately pulled out his cellphone and went scrolling through his contacts. He hit call as soon as he spotted her name. 

"Hello?" 

"Hi, Kori," Dick replied. 

"Oh, Dick," Kori replied happily. "It's been awhile. How have you been?" 

"I've been good. How are the titans?" Dick asked. 

"They're doing well. I couldn't be more proud of their progress," Kori stated. 

"I'm glad to hear it," Dick said earnestly. "So...this may sound a little strange, but I need a little bit of advice." 

"Advice on?" 

"Well, I picked up this girl, her name's Ryla," Dick explained. "Thing is...she's not exactly from here." 

"Is she from off-world?" Kori asked.

"She's from a rift between multiverses," Dick explained. "I'm still not entirely sure what that means. She's a good kid, but she gets nightmares about that place. They've been getting worse since I dropped her off in Gotham." 

"I fail to see what I'm supposed to be advising you on," she replied. "I need more than just 'she has nightmares,' Dick." 

"How much time have you got?" Dick inquired. 

"As much as you need." 

So, Dick started at the beginning. He recounted how Ryla had fallen out of the sky and started to rapidly lose her memories and how she started displaying signs of magic. He told Kor'i about how Ryla created a monkey and about the monster that attacked the manor. He told her everything. Kori listened attentively, and Dick appreciated it. He needed the outside perspective. 

"I'm just a little lost on what to do," Dick admitted. "Kori, I don't have any experience dealing with volatile magic. And I have no idea when I'll be able to get back to Gotham." 

"The most experience I have with magic would be Raven," Kori replied. "She does her best to control her emotions so that she doesn't have the random outbursts Ryla is having. Given all that she's gone through, I can see why she would be a little high strung."

"So, how do I help her?" 

"You're already doing everything you can right now," Kori assured him. "You've given her a safe place, you've given her a support system. Now, she needs to find her footing. You just have to be there in case she slips. Does that help?" 

"Yeah. Quite a bit," Dick answered. "Thanks, Kori." 

"I'm happy to help. I look forward to the day I get to meet Ryla." 

"We should plan on getting together sometime," Dick suggested. "I'm sure she'd be happy to meet you." 

"That sounds like a wonderful idea."


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for missing a week of updates. I got slammed with work and hit a little bit of writer's block.  
> Hope you enjoy the chapter. I'll hopefully get the next one up soon. Enjoy your weekend, and happy Valentine's Day to all of you!

After his call with Kori, Dick decided to keep in closer contact with the mansion and Ryla's situation. He called the mansion once a night before he went on patrol as Nightwing, hoping that maybe it would help Ryla sleep a little better. According to Bruce, it did help. Ryla still woke up in the middle of the night, but she got a few more hours of sleep out of it. But, it only made her want to come to Bludhaven even more. Dick steered Ryla away from the topic anytime it was about to pop up, though she got notably more frosty when he avoided it. 

There were more promising updates from Gotham. Alfred mentioned that Ryla was doing well enough with her work that they might be able to enroll her in school soon without too many problems. There was only one thing left to do before they could officially enroll her, and that was fill out the papers for guardianship. Admittedly, Dick was flipping between the two options. He _did_ care for Ryla and he was finding it harder and harder to not want her to be a permanent fixture in his life. She was a kid who needed a home and Dick was more than willing to share his. He also couldn't help but feel an obligation to her. After all, he'd caught her when she fell from the sky, he'd helped her figure out where she came from and he had a feeling that there were many more bumps coming up for her. On the other hand, Dick found himself wondering if he was the best option. He lived alone, the nearest support system would be in Gotham and his job, both as a cop and as a vigilante, were dangerous. Thankfully, Kori was more than willing to listen to him and help him sort out some things. 

While Dick did his best to take care of things in Bludhaven, Ryla was getting impatient in Gotham. It's not that she didn't like Bruce, Jason, Tim and Alfred (She was still on the fence about Damian). It's just that none of them were Dick. She couldn't really explain why it had to be Dick when she woke up from a nightmare or when she just wanted to sit an watch the finches with someone. All she knew was that whenever it was Bruce or Alfred that came to her room when she woke up, she didn't want to talk about it or latch onto them for comfort. She knew that instead of being happy that Jason or Tim found her sitting near a window, she felt awkward and couldn't think of the rights words when she tried talking to them about what she saw outside. 

She was working on some math worksheets on the floor of the living room while Tim typed away on his laptop on the couch. Mojo walked in circles around Ryla while she worked and she'd absently reach out and pet him while she thought about a problem. She was finding it difficult to think. The clock on the wall ticked and tocked, getting closer to the time when Dick would call. Maybe tonight she would finally ask if she could go back. He kept avoiding the topic and it was starting to frustrate her.

"How's the math coming?" Tim asked. 

Without even thinking, Ryla answered. "Fine." 

"Really? Because you've been staring at the same problem for ten minutes," Tim pointed out. 

"Oh..." 

"You spaced out?" he guessed. 

"Maybe a little," Ryla admitted. "Just waiting for Dick to call." 

"It'll be any minute now," Tim assured her, gesturing to the clock. 

Ryla took a deep breath and refocused on her worksheet. There were just a few more problems for her to do, then Alfred could look over it. Mojo jumped onto her shoulder as she worked through the multiplication problems. Unfortunately, her attention kept getting pulled away by whatever noise reached her ears. She heard Damian's footsteps and his order for Tim to get down to the cave for patrol. She heard the notification noise from Tim's phone and his laptop. Every little noise piqued her interest until _finally_ , the phone rang. 

Alfred appeared in the door as Ryla jumped to her feet. He handed her the phone without a word. 

"Hi, Dick," Ryla said, bouncing on the balls of her feet. 

"Hey, Ryla," Dick replied. "How was today?" 

"It was alright," she answered with a shrug. "Bruce came down and helped me while I was training with Jason. He said I was getting good at the basics and he showed me some new stretches to do after I finish training, too." 

"That's good to hear. What about academics?" 

"Getting there. Did Alfred tell you that he thinks I'm almost ready for school?" 

"Yeah, he did," Dick answered. "We were talking about when we might need to enroll you." 

"It sounds kind of fun. If it's like what Alfred does with me, I think I'll like it." 

"It'll be a little bit different, Ry," Dick stated with a small chuckle. "You'll be in a class with other kids your age and it won't be as much one-on-one instruction." 

"It can't be that different, right? I mean, it's still all the same stuff." 

"I guess you'll just have to wait until you're in school and decide for yourself." 

"You know, since we're on the topic of stuff like school, I don't suppose it could hurt to ask--" 

"Not yet, Ryla," Dick stated.

"But when?" Ryla asked, not bothering to hide her irritation. "C'mon, Dick. I like Gotham and all, but it's not..." 

"It's not what?" 

"l... I don't know. It's... just not Bludhaven. I know I wasn't there long, but I _miss_ it."

"Just be patient," Dick replied gently. "I'm doing the best I can to take care of work, and then when I get a chance to come back to Gotham, we'll sort it out." 

"But _when_?" 

"I don't know. Look, a friend of mine is coming in tonight and I'm hoping she'll be able to help me get some stuff settled." 

Ryla puffed out her cheeks in annoyance at the continued uncertainty of when she could go to Bludhaven. After staying in Gotham for almost a month, she was wondering when there would be an actual date she could mark on a calendar. 

"Look, Ryla, I get why you're getting antsy," Dick said with a sigh. 

"For some reason, I seriously doubt that," she mumbled. 

She heard Dick let out a groan. She was starting to test his patience. Something told her that it was pretty hard to test Dick's patience. 

"I've got work to finish. I'll let you talk to Alfred," she said flatly. 

"Ryla, I _am_ trying," Dick stated. 

"I know," she replied. "I'll talk to you tomorrow." 

She handed the phone to Alfred and plopped down on the floor. Mojo ran onto her shoulder and started nuzzling her cheek. She'd learned that it was his way of trying to make her feel better. It might've made her feel better if she was able to slow down her thinking. She started focusing on the sounds again. The ticking of the clock and Alfed's fading voice as he walked towards another part of the house. 

At this point, Ryla was willing to do anything if it meant going back to Bludhaven. She'd walk the whole way there herself if she had to! Or run! Or jump on a bus! 

"Wait..." Ryla muttered. "Jump on a bus..." 

Tim's laptop was laying on the couch, abandoned from when he went to patrol with the others. Ryla peeked her head into the hall, checking to see if Alfred was close by. When she couldn't spot him, she dashed to the couch and opened the laptop. Of course, the ill-formed plan in her head hit a speedbump the moment she saw that she needed a password. 

"I don't suppose you'd know what Tim's password would be?" she asked Mojo. 

The monkey chattered, staring blankly at the screen. 

"Not helpful," she replied. "Do you at least know how much a bus ticket is?" 

Ryla, once again, received no answer from the monkey. A bus ticket couldn't be that expensive, but Ryla felt a little uneasy at the thought of taking a random amount of money from somebody's wallet. Still, maybe there was some spare change left lying around. She set off across the mansion, looking for any change that might've gotten dropped. She found a few crumpled bills in the couch, plus a few quarters. She managed to sneak her way to the laundry room and found some more bills in the lint trap of the dryer. Mojo dutifully stayed by her side as she made her way back to her room and tried to count up her loot.

"Okay...I think this should be enough," she stated, squinting at her pile of bills. "I mean...that's eleven..." she took a moment to count her pile gain. "...twelve-ish dollars. That should be enough. Hopefully. And if it's not, then I'll just come back and save up until I've got enough. We probably wanna get moving before they all get back from patrol." 

Ryla started gathering up supplies to put in her backpack for the trip to Bludhaven. Mojo assisted her with her packing. While Ryla rolled up a spare set of clothes, Mojo placed her favorite stuffed animal, her notebook and pencils next to her backpack. Once everything was tucked inside, Ryla held the bag open for him. Mojo quickly shook his head. 

"Get in the bag," Ryla replied sternly. 

Mojo shook his head again and jumped onto her shoulder. 

"I can't go walking around Gotham with a monkey on my shoulder," Ryla stated. "Having a pet monkey isn't normal...at least, I don't think it is. So, get in the bag and go to sleep. I'll wake you up once we get to Dick's." 

Mojo hissed at the bag and wrapped his paws around Ryla's neck. 

"We don't have time to argue," she said with a glare. "Get. In. The. Bag. It won't take us that long to get there. You'll barely even notice." 

Mojo chattered in indignation before resigning himself to Ryla's command. He curled up on top of the other things and used his paws as a pillow. He fired one last glare at Ryla before reverting to his form as a stuffed animal. Ryla let out a relieved sigh and zipped up her backpack. She ran through the steps of her plan in her head. 

1\. Sneak past Alfred  
2\. Make it to the bus station without getting caught by the multiple vigilantes that she'd been living with  
3\. Pay for a ticket to Bludhaven  
4\. Find a way to Dick's apartment 

Ryla took a deep breath when she finished her internal list. "Piece of cake...This'll be a piece of cake. Hopefully." 

With that less than reassuring statement, Ryla shouldered her backpack, ready to begin her journey.


	14. Chapter 14

Sneaking out of the mansion and to the Gotham bus station was easier than Ryla had anticipated. It helped that Alfred was the only person home and the mansion was so big that it would take him a minute to figure out she was gone. There was a whole house to search. She did feel a sudden sense of dread when she stepped past the magical wards that surrounded the house. She tried not to dwell on it. She refused to psych herself out. 

The streets of Gotham were terrifying, and Ryla avoided all dark alleys like the plague. She kept a ball cap over her face and tried to make herself look taller. Maybe she'd be fine if she looked a little bit older. Occasionally, Mojo would wake up and move around in her bag. He probably sensed some of her uneasiness. It took her a moment to figure out how to get to the bus station. A few homeless people were willing to be helpful if she spared them a dollar. It seemed like a reasonable price for directions. When she finally got to the station, she was relieved to discover that she had enough money for a ticket to Bludhaven and hopped on the next bus. 

The bus ride was the easiest part of her little plan. All Ryla had to do was sit in the back and not talk to anybody. She was perfectly fine with that arrangement. There were some strange people on the bus. Some of them, she could ignore. There was one that she kept looking at out of the corner of her eye. Something about them made her uneasy. They were tall and it was hard to make out any distinguishing features about them. They seemed familiar, and not in a good way. She did her best to keep her eyes away from them. 

When the bus finally pulled into the station at Bludhaven, Ryla dashed off the bus. She didn't want to hang around. She quickly realized another problem with her plan when she stepped into the streets of Bludhaven. She had no clue how to get to Dick's apartment and she had no way to call him either. 

"I really didn't think this through," she mumbled to herself.

Ryla paced on the sidewalk, running through any possible next steps she could take. Could she use magic to get herself to Dick's apartment? She knew the premise for casting spells. She made Damian unable to speak completely on accident. If she actually meant to do something, it couldn't be that hard. She just needed to find the right words. They came naturally before. Maybe they'd come naturally again. 

She stopped her pacing and waited for the words to magically appear in her head. Unfortunately, she didn't spit out words without knowing. Maybe that only happened if she was really upset. That's what had happened with Damian. Ryla decided to try her luck with a simple sentence. 

"Take me to Dick's apartment. Take...e-k, etak, no, ekat," she mumbled. "Ekat em ot S'kcid t...Apartment...What's apartment backwards?" 

Ryla dug a piece of paper and a pencil out of her backpack. She plopped down on a bench and scribbled out the word apartment, then wrote it backwards. 

"Tnem...tnemtrapa," she sounded out. Ryla's nose crinckled at the sound of the word. "Backwards is weird. So, ekat em ot S'kcid tnemtrapa."

Ryla waited for something to happen. A puff of smoke, a flash of light, anything. For whatever reason, it didn't work. There was an uneasy feeling in her stomach. It should've worked. She wasn't sure why she was so certain, but she was. She started scanning the area around her. The streets were quiet. It was well past midnight, so it shouldn't have surprised her. There were a few cars that passed every now and then. Ryla looked around until her eyes landed on the figure she'd noticed on the bus. They were standing across the street, staring at her. The uneasy feeling grew. The person smiled at her. Their smile was unnaturally big and Ryla found herself staring at a familiar mouth of sharp teeth. The figure started to fall apart, revealing a multitude of small, disfigured monsters, just like the one that had attacked the mansion. 

Ryla jumped up from the bench and started running. She threw one glance over her shoulder and saw them following her. 

"Mojo! Mojo, wake up!" she yelled. "Wake up!" 

She could feel the monkey stirring in her bag. She could feel him waking up for a moment, only to be forced back to sleep again. Whatever those things were, they were keeping her from waking him. 

"Dick!" Ryla cried. "Help me!" 

It was the only thing Ryla could think of. The phrase repeated through her head as she tore down the streets of Bludhaven. The monsters followed her, and she swore they were laughing at her, waiting for her to tire herself out. Ryla blindly turned down streets and alleys, hoping that she could find a place to hide. It worked, until she found herself at a dead end. 

"No. Nonononono," she muttered. "There's gotta be a way out." 

Ryla's breath hitched when she heard the sound of the monsters drawing closer. She found herself curling in a ball against the wall, desperately praying for a miracle. 

A dark cloud fell over Ryla. She felt her body heat being sucked away and her hands and feet began to ache. She couldn't breathe as it completely covered her. She could make out the shapes of the monsters running past the alley where she was waiting. Her heart beat rapidly, ready to explode out of her chest. Spots began filling her vision as she ran out of air. It was only after the last of them passed that the cloud disappeared. Ryla let out a gasp, taking in as much air as possible. Her feet protested as she stood up, but Ryla knew that she couldn't stop. That cloud, whatever it had been, she'd been the one to call it. But it hurt, like the way the red flames hurt. She tried not to dwell on it. She had bigger problems, like not letting those things find her again. 

Ryla shook her head and looked around, trying to get her bearings. As she scanned the alley, her eyes landed on a fire escape. Ryla knew she'd rather take her chances on a rooftop than in the streets. Without a second thought, she grabbed the ladder and started climbing. Ryla pulled herself onto the roof and glanced over the street, searching for the monsters.

Her backpack unzipped and Mojo climbed onto her shoulder. 

"Thank goodness," Ryla sighed in relief. "I thought you weren't gonna wake up at all." 

Mojo rubbed his head against Ryla's cheek. She gently scratched him behind the ear. 

"We gotta find Dick," she stated. "Like, right now. If you're awake, maybe I can use the backwards spells again. Um..." Ryla took a moment to visualize the words. "Ojom, dnif Kcid." 

Mojo jumped from Ryla's shoulder and began running across the rooftops. Ryla ran after him, doing her best to keep up. She tried not to look down when she jumped to another roof. There were a few slips and close calls. She was so focused on Mojo that she forgot about her previous obstacle. 

_"Riftling."_

Ryla froze. She peeked over the edge of the roof and saw the small monsters. They looked up at her with the sharp-toothed smiles. Mojo continued running ahead, almost unaffected by the monsters. Ryla took a deep breath and ran to the edge of the roof and jumped. She let out a scream as one of the monsters leaped at her and wrapped its claw around her ankle.

Rlya tumbled onto the next roof and violently kicked her leg. Sharp pain flared in Ryla's leg as the monster sank its teeth into it. Ryla bit down on her tongue. Heat rapidly filled her body and her vision tinted red. The monster burst into flames with a pained wail. The heat drained from Ryla's body. She did her best to shake off the pain that began to fill her body and limped after Mojo, but the monkey eventually got too far ahead of her.

Nightwing was patrolling Bludhaven with Starfire. She had come to visit and offer some support as he got a handle on the crime that had risen while he'd been in Gotham. It was nice to patrol with her. They'd stopped a few would-be muggers, but there wasn't much else going on. They settled on one of the many skyscrapers for a quick break. 

That was when his phone rang. Nightwing answered, only to hear a worried Alfred. 

"Master Dick, it would seem that Ryla has run away," he stated quickly. 

"Ryla what?!" he replied. "How?! When?! How Long has she been gone?!" 

"What's happened?" Starfire asked, placing a calming hand on his arm. 

"Ryla's not at the mansion," Nightwing answered. "Alfred, have you been able to find her?" 

"She left while the others were on patrol. I'm sorry. I should've noticed sooner," Alfred explained. "The others have been searching the streets but have been unable to find her. I thought, perhaps she was making her way to Bludhaven." 

"How long has she been gone?" 

"I don't know."

"I need better than 'I don't know', Alfred," Nightwing snapped. 

"We're doing the best we can, sir," Alfred replied calmly. 

Nightwing took a quick breath. "Alright. Keep searching. Starfire and I will start combing Bludhaven and see if she's made it here."

"I will contact you if we find her," Alfred assured him. 

"Yeah, I'll let you know if we find her on this end." Nightwing ended the call and scanned the streets below them.

"What do you need me to do?" Starfire asked, drawing his attention. 

"You take the skies, I'll search on foot," he answered. "If you spot anything unusual, let me know." 

Starfire nodded and began her flight. Nightwing made his way across the rooftops. His eyes scanned the streets for any sign of Ryla. Her running away was reckless without taking the other factors into account. Adding in the magical monsters and her own uncontrollable powers? That made it especially dangerous and idiotic. He hoped that she was still in Gotham and not too far from the protection of the manor. But, given how long she'd been gone, it was unlikely. 

"Nightwing, there's something heading towards you," Starfire called over the coms. "It looks like a monkey of some kind." 

"It's gotta be Mojo," he replied quickly. "He's Ryla's. Which way is he coming from?" 

"A couple buildings to the south," Starfire answered. "He seems to be injured." 

Nightwing made his way to the south, following behind Starfire. He did his best to keep from getting worried. If Mojo was injured, and separated from Ryla, that wasn't a good sign. He spotted Mojo, and as soon as the monkey saw him, it jumped onto his shoulder. Nightwing looked over Mojo, not seeing any external injuries. If Ryla's connection with the monkey went both ways, that meant...

"Starfire, keep heading south," he ordered. "I'll be following behind you with Mojo. Keep an eye out for any signs of magic. If Ryla's in trouble, she'll be casting spells on instinct."

Mojo jumped from Nightwing's shoulder and started running. Nightwing followed closely behind. It felt like an eternity before they finally made it to Ryla. 

"I think I see her!" Starfire called. "She's surrounded monsters and fire!" 

Nightwing burst into a full sprint at the news. He saw Ryla using her arms to pull herself across the roof, surrounded by a circle of red flames. Monsters tried to jump the wall of flames, but the fire seemed to have a mind of its own. It was like a snake, that struck quickly, burning any it touched. Still, some managed to make it past the fire. Starfire landed in front of Ryla and began firing starbolts at the ones that managed to penetrate the circle. Ryla's eyes widened at the sight of Starfire. Nightwing quickly threw a batarang at one of the monsters that had made it past Starfire, drawing Ryla's attention. 

"Dick!" Ryla cried in relief. 

Nightwing took note of the scratches and bleeding gashes on Ryla's body. The work of the monsters. There was a drop in temperature as he knelt down next to her. 

"Can you stand?" he asked urgently. 

Ryla shook her head. "They bit my leg." 

"It's ok. We're gonna get you home," he assured her, getting ready to lift her off of the ground. 

"Nightwing!" Starfire exclaimed. 

Another of the few monsters lucky enough to pass Starfire jumped towards him and Ryla. It gnashed its teeth as it approached them. Before Nightwing could stop her, Ryla reacted. She held her hands up protectively and a shockwave of magic exploded from her palms. The monster heading towards them, as well as many of the ones behind it began turning to dust and crumbling. Those remaining hissed, before quickly retreating with Starfire's star bolts chasing them off for good measure. 

Nightwing saw Ryla's eyes flood with tears as she pulled her hands back to look at them. His eyes widened when he saw the skin of her palms shredded and bloody. 

"Everything hurts," Ryla whimpered. 

Starfire rushed over as Nightwing stood up with Ryla in his arms. She let out a gasp when she finally got a look at the injuries Ryla had sustained. Nightwing was beginning to wonder just how many were actually from the monsters...

"We'll get you home and then we'll get you all fixed up," he assured her. "It'll be ok." 

"It doesn't feel ok," Ryla replied, her breathing becoming heavy. "It's cold...and it hurts...Like somebody's...putting nails in my bones..." Soon, her eyes began to droop. 

"Ryla, stay awake," Nightwing said urgently. "You can't fall asleep right now, kiddo." 

It was all in vain. The night had taken its toll on her. Mojo climbed up Nightwing's back and laid himself on Ryla's stomach before turning back into a stuffed animal.

"Let me take her," Starfire recommended. "I may be able to warm her up. And I can fly her back to your apartment." 

Nightwing nodded and gently handed Ryla off to Starfire. "I'll meet you back there." 

Starfire took off, leaving Nightwing to make his way back on foot. As he made the journey, he called Alfred.


End file.
